Quest for the Holy Grail
by Shadowclanwarrior
Summary: After receiving a request from Queen Victoria, Ciel and Sebastian go on an epic search for the long lost holy grail. But as they dwell deeper into the mystery of the grail, strange things begin to happen as they face a horny grim reaper, a forest untouched by time, knights who respond to strange words, killer rabbits, and insanity itself.
1. A Letter From the Queen

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Ciel Phantomhive says as he rereads the letter he has in his hands over and over again. "She...she _can't_ be serious!"

His right eye twitches, while his butler, Sebastian Michaelis, looks over his shoulder to see what the letter says. A large grin appears on his face.

"It appears that she is, my lord," Sebastian says with a hint of amusement. "For it seems that your queen wants you to find the long lost holy grail."

Ciel clutches the letter tightly.

"But...but _why_?!" he questions. "It is bloody pointless! What...what can she possibly _gain_ by going after this useless artifact?!"

"Well, one of England's greatest kings went after it," Sebastian notes thoughtfully. "The great King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table went on a great journey hoping to contain it, since it was supposedly brought to England long ago but then was later forgotten."

He pauses.

"You know, if this grail was so important to you humans, shouldn't you have protected it better?"

Ciel growls and glares at Sebastian.

"But that is just a fable, a legend. It can't all be true."

He pauses for a moment.

"However, if Great Britain were to get its hands on the holy grail, it would be a great achievement for us in the history of Christianity and people all over the world would want to see it, adding more tourism to the country..."

He loses his words, as he partly answers his own question. Ciel sighs heavily, rubbing his forehead like he has a migraine. Sebastian smiles.

"So, are we going after this holy grail, my lord?"

Ciel sighs again.

"...Do you have _any_ idea where it could be before we go on a wild goose chase, Sebastian?" he asks.

Sebastian is silent for a moment, clearly deep in thought.

"Specifically, no, I do not. However, I do believe if we go to one of the ancient castles, since it was supposedly kept it one, in the countryside, I could get some clues to its location."

"So you will be able to get this done quickly?" Ciel questions.

Sebastian smiles.

"Young master, if I couldn't find a simple grail then what kind of butler would I be? In the name of the Phantomhive family, I will achieve this holy grail for you and your queen. ...Even though I am a demon and probably shouldn't touch such a holy item that you humans really adore, but I will do it nevertheless."

Ciel rolls his eyes.

"Good. Now, let's get a carriage setup and get everything organized so that we may go to one of these castles. You got that, Sebastian?"

Sebastian gets down on one knee and bows.

"Yes, my lord."

He then gets back up and leaves the room. Ciel watches him go, a part of him feeling that this task is going to be _far_ more difficult than it should be.


	2. His Butler, With Coconuts

Stepping out of the carriage, Ciel and Sebastian stand right in front of a large medieval castle. It is in the middle of a large field in the English countryside, its solitude gray stone giving it a cold and ancient appearance. There are not very many people around the castle, only a few tourists and castle caretakers. Ciel gives a mental sigh in relief, for at least they will not have to worry too much about bring unnecessary attention.

"How would you like us to approach this, young master?" Sebastian asks, dragging Ciel out of his thoughts. "Would you like me to search it myself and have you wait out here or would you like to go in with me?"

"I might as well go with you," Ciel answers in a monotone voice. "I want to see the clues myself."

Sebastian blinks.

"Is it because we are looking for something 'holy' that you don't trust me to get the job done?"

Ciel shakes his head.

"No, I just don't want to sit out here bored out of mind while waiting for you. Now, shall we go?"

With Sebastian rolling his eyes, the earl and his butler both make their way into the castle. They get in without much trouble, though a few of the caretakers seem persistent on getting them into a tour group instead of them roaming the castle independently. Sebastian is able to get them off their back, but Ciel still feels greatly annoyed by it.

_Can't they just mind their own business?_

They wander all through the rooms of the first floor of the castle, but neither Sebastian or Ciel find anything of use. Not that surprises Ciel.

_We are getting nowhere at this rate!_

They eventually find a staircase and follow it up to the second floor. They search it, and again, find nothing. Ciel growls in frustration.

"This is _so_ pointless... I don't care if the queen wants it or not, this is a waste of my time!"

Sebastian looks down at him.

"Such harsh words, my lord. We've only been searching for fifteen minutes and five seconds. It hasn't been that long."

"And yet I could have been using that fifteen minutes and five seconds doing important things, like finding ways to improve the company!" Ciel snaps. "I'm a busy man, Sebastian. I can't run little earns like this all the time, even if I am the queen's guard dog, and this isn't even a job for a guard dog!"

Sebastian sighs. "Just have some patience. You might even have fun if you just kept a positive attitude."

Ciel's eye twitches but he says nothing else in reply.

They then go up to the third floor, where they arrive in a large hallway. There are a bunch of large windows, each having a beautiful view of the English countryside. Though Ciel hates to admit, he does think the view is nice.

"Hmm...this is strange."

Ciel blinks, realizing that Sebastian is in one of the other rooms. He goes to where Sebastian is, who is standing on the edge of a balcony holding something in his hands. Ciel looks over to realizes that he is holding what looks like to be a coconut.

"Sebastian, where did you get the coconut?" he asks.

"I found it out here on the balcony," Sebastian answers, a puzzled look in his dark brown eyes. "Strangely enough, it was right next to a swallow."

"A swallow? Why would a swallow be with coconut?"

"Been asking myself the same question."

Ciel and Sebastian's eyes widen. They turn around to see a man with long silver hair and a long black robe approach them.

"That swallow and coconut has been there for some time now," the Undertaker says with a crooked grin. "It almost looked like it brought it there or something like that..."

Sebastian raises an eyebrow.

"How could a swallow carry a coconut, it is far too small to carry it. And where would a swallow even find a coconut?"

The Undertaker shrugs his shoulders, smiling from ear to ear.

"Perhaps it found one from when it migrated south. Or maybe some Englishman brought it and the swallow stole it. Oh, the possibilities are endless!"

"Uh...no they are not," Sebastian counters. "It is impossible for a swallow to carry a coconut, a tropical fruit, to this castle, in Great Britain."

"Yes...but it could have been migrated here, just like the swallow."

"Are you suggesting that coconuts migrate?"

"Undertaker, what are you doing here?" Ciel quickly says before they could continue their ridiculous conversation. "Shouldn't you be back in London at your funeral parlor?"

The Undertaker frowns.

"Yes, I should supposedly. I could get really behind on my work if I am gone for too long..."

His creepy grin quickly returns to his face.

"_But_ I haven't had a lot of guests arriving lately, so I thought I would take a little vacation."

He moves closer to Ciel.

"But the real question is, what are _you_ doing here, milord? I wouldn't think a busy earl such as yourself would be visiting an old castle."

Ciel takes a step back from the Undertaker, a disgusted look on his face.

"If you must know, I'm here on business for the queen."

The Undertaker's smile grows, and even though his eyes are covered, Ciel could probably guess that they are glowing with curiosity.

"And what kind of business, if I may ask?"

He giggles, as if expecting a funny answer. Ciel narrows his eyes.

"It is none of your-"

"We are looking for the legendary holy grail," Sebastian says, cutting Ciel off. "The queen is trying to recover the artifact and we have been instructed to find it."

The Undertaker stares at Sebastian for a second. Suddenly, he bursts into a fit of laughter. Ciel clutches his fists, glaring up at Sebastian. Sebastian smiles.

"He would have kept asking until we answered him. Besides, he could be useful."

"How can _he_ be useful?" Ciel questions angrily. "There are no corpses involved, so I doubt he would know anything about the holy grail!"

"Actually, I do."

Both Ciel and Sebastian turn to the Undertaker, who is slowly trying to get in control over his laughter.

"Hee hee, I do know a thing or two about the holy grail!" he says with a large smile. "One can learn a lot from reading into the lives of others..."

He pauses, most likely to add dramatic effect to the moment, as both Ciel and Sebastian are staring at him with wide eyes.

"However, if you want to know, you are going to have to pay the price... You know what I mean, milord."

Ciel sighs.

"Damn you, Undertaker! Sebastian, can you take care of this?"

There is no reply.

"...Sebastian?"

He turns to see that Sebastian is gone.

Ciel blinks and looks down from the balcony to see that their carriage is being stolen. Sebastian, apparently. has jumped off from the balcony and is trying to catch up to it. Ciel's eyes widen, his jaw hanging open, while the Undertaker stands beside him laughing his head off. Ciel curses in frustration and quickly runs out of the castle as fast as he can. By the time he gets outside, Sebastian is nowhere in sight, and neither is the carriage. Ciel's eye twitches.

"Sebastian, get back here!" he cries out.

"I'm right here, young master."

Sebastian walks up to Ciel, his black uniform covered with dirt. Ciel narrows his eyes.

"Were you able to catch the carriage?"

Sebastian sighs.

"It happened so fast that I was barely able to catch them. Whoever stole our carriage, I can say I'm impressed on how well they work."

"...So were you able to get it back?" Ciel asks, pressing on the question.

It takes awhile for Sebastian to reply.

"...I got a wheel back."

He lifts up a half scorched wooden carriage wheel. Ciel's eyes widen.

"...H-how..."

"I was able to catch up to the carriage without any problem, and take down the thieves," Sebastian explains. "But then while I was questioning them, the carriage exploded..."

There is a short silence.

"How did it explode?" Ciel questions. "Carriages don't just randomly explode!"

"They must have put dynamite in it before they made off with it. Why they would do that, I have no idea."

Ciel growls.

"Well, now what? We still have no idea where the grail is and now we have no carriage to travel in! Can things get any worse and more irritating?"

"Now that you said it, probably."

Undertaker slowly approaches them, chuckling softly to himself.

"I wouldn't say those things out loud, milord," he advises. "You might jinx yourself for it to come true."

Ciel rolls his eyes, making the Undertaker look even more amused.

"But, now that you paid the price," he continues, "I can tell you where to find the grail."

Sebastian raises an eyebrow, an unconvinced look in his eyes.

"You know _exactly_ where the holy grail is?"

The Undertaker smiles.

"I do."

"...How?"

"Well, being a retired shinigami, you have to know these things."

The Undertaker then puts his attention on Ciel.

"The holy grail has been lost for centuries upon centuries in a long forgotten castle that was supposedly destroyed. The castle is hidden deep within the earth, and to get to it you must enter a cave that is guarded by a dangerous monster, one that would even challenge the strength of your demon butler!"

"I will be the judge of that," Sebastian says. "And how did you know I am a demon?"

The Undertaker grins.

"But even before you can get to the monster and the cave, you need to go through..."

He stops in mid sentence. There is a short silence, both Ciel and Sebastian waiting for him to continue.

"...Go through what, Undertaker?" Ciel finally asks. "You need to finish your sentence."

The Undertaker tips his head to the side, completely ignoring the earl.

"Hmm...seems I have forgotten. Sorry, milord."

There is a long silence.

Ciel feels an overwhelming amount of rage build up inside of him, wanting nothing more than anything to see the Undertaker strangled to death. The Undertaker gives a large smile.

"At least I gave you a start! Now it is best you get on your way."

He then turns to face Sebastian.

"Oh, and you best take this."

Taking his hands out of his long sleeves, the Undertaker gives Sebastian the coconut from earlier. Sebastian blinks.

"Why would I need this?"

Undertaker snickers.

"You lost your carriage and horses, so you need to improvise for the earl."

Sebastian looks down at the coconut and then back to the Undertaker.

"You are not suggesting..."

The Undertaker laughs softly.

"I wish you both good luck on your journey! Hee hee hee..."


	3. Sebastian's Sacrifice

"Can you go any faster, Sebastian?" Ciel demands. "You are going way too slow and we are losing daylight!"

Sebastian grunts heavily.

"...I'm doing my best, young master! There is only so much..."

He cuts himself off, as his legs start to shake.

He is standing in the middle of the road, holding Ciel on his back. Though he is a powerful demon with demonic powers, giving a piggyback ride to Ciel did hurt is back after traveling for five hours straight.

_You would think a child as small as he would weigh less..._

"Get a move on, Sebastian!" Ciel exclaims. "The next town isn't too far from here."

Sebastian mumbles in pain.

"For the sake of my back, I hope so."

He starts to walk again, skipping along as he bangs the two halves of the coconut together to sound like a horse trotting. Though he tries to pick up his pace, Sebastian slowly feels himself losing strength.

"Sebastian, you are slowing down again!" Ciel says irritated.

"Sorry, my lord," Sebastian replies. "But I'm afraid I'm about to use up all my energy. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up..."

_"Oh Bassy!"_

Sebastian stops in place. He chuckles softly.

"...And I've become so tired that now I'm imagining Grell's voice calling out to me."

"Bassy!"

Without any warning, Sebastian feels something tackle him from the side. Ciel is thrown off of Sebastian's back, crying painfully lands straight on his back. Sebastian would have tried to catch his master, but he is trapped by the arms of the shinigami he hates the most.

"_Oh_, Bassy!" Grell Sutcliff exclaims in a high-pitched voice, hugging Sebastian so close to him. "You have _no_ idea how good it is to see you right now!"

Sebastain feels like he is about to suffocate to death by the reaper's tight grip.

"_W-will you get off of me_!"

Using all of his strength, Sebastian pushes Grell off of him. Grell does nothing to resist, only staring at Sebastian with adoring green eyes. Sebastian's left eye twitches and Grell gives an uneasy laugh.

"I guess I got carried away. But I've had a _long_ day reaping souls, so seeing your handsome self made me lose it!"

He flutters his eyelashes, causing Sebastian to groan.

"...At this point, I seriously don't care what you do."

He turns to Ciel, who is still sitting on the floor, and helps him stand back up.

"Are you alright, my lord?" Sebastian asks.

"...No, not really."

Ciel turns his attention to Grell.

"What are _you_ even doing here, you gender confused freak?"

Grell crosses his arms and narrows his eyes.

"How _dare_ you call a lady a freak, you brat!" he cries offended. "I'll have you know that if you continue to give us women this kind of treatment-"

"Grell, will you please get to the point," Sebastian interrupts, clear irritation in his voice. "We are in a bit of a hurry."

Grell blinks. "What sort of hurry?"

"It is none of your concern. We are just-"

"Trying to find the holy grail, in request of the queen," Ciel explains.

Sebastian glares down at him, only to have Ciel smirk slightly in reply. Grell continues to hold his blank stare.

"'Holy grail?'"

Sebastian sighs heavily, knowing that there is no way avoiding an explanation.

"The holy grail is a sacred item held by the humans in one of their many ludicrous religions. It was lost long ago, supposedly here in England. If we find it, Great Britain's influence would grow greatly, for religious and historical purposes."

Sebastian waits for Grell to make a reply, but to his surprise, he is looking towards the distance, seemingly lost in thought. In fact, he looks semi-intelligent for once in his life.

"Holy grail, holy grail," Grell mutters to himself. "_Where_ have I heard that term before..."

His eyes light up.

"Oh yeah! I remember back when I was in reaper school, we were taught about a legendary shinigami who reaped the soul of this old guy who had a holy item of something like a grail. It wasn't a big focus in our studies over reaper history, but nevertheless, we had to know it..."

"So does that mean that you know where the holy grail is?" Ciel asks, sounding slightly hopeful.

"Eh..."

Grell gives a sheepish smile. Sebastian narrows his eyes.

"You don't know, do you?"

"Well...would it surprise you that I didn't pay too much attention in class?"

"No, it wouldn't. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't pay attention because you were too busy lusting over the back of some boy's head."

"_Hey_, that's not nice to say!"

Sebastian ignores that comment, along with Grell's ranting. He looks over towards the horizon, noticing that the sun is about to completely set. With no carriage and him in this exhausted state, there is no way he is able to get him and the young master to the next town in time.

"It looks like we are going to have to camp out in the wilderness for the night," Sebastian says to Ciel. "I have enough energy to make a camp, but I can't make it to the next town. I apologize for this, as the butler of the Phantomhive family."

"Whatever," Ciel replies. "At this point, I don't really care. It has been an _extremely_ long day."

"That I agree to."

"Wait, where are you going?"

Sebastian and Ciel turn to Grell.

"We are going to set up camp for the night," Sebastian explains. "I have exhausted my abilities and need to get the young master somewhere safe. Unless you can prove yourself useful and get us to an inn."

Grell is silent for a long moment.

"Well...I _suppose_ I could help you out, Sebastian darling," he says in indecisive tone. "And if the payment is good enough, not only can I help you get a place to sleep, but maybe even help you in your quest."

"Like finding out where the location of the grail is?" Ciel asks.

Grell nods.

"Perhaps I could do some research... But like I said, the payment has to be worth it. I could get in a lot of trouble with Will by doing this, you have to think of that too."

Sebastian sighs, his gut telling him that he isn't going to like what Grell is getting at.

But then again, what choice did he and Ciel have? Even with the Undertaker's limited information, they cannot go far with it, and if Grell can get more information, it could ultimately determine whether or not they could get this damn 'holy' grail. Sebastian hates to admit it, _really_ hates to admit it, but Grell seems to be their only hope of success.

Sebastian looks down at Ciel, who seems to be thinking over their situation as well. They both make eye contact with each other, and silently, they agree to hear on Grell's offer.

"What is your price?" Ciel finally asks.

Grell's eyes widen.

"Wow...you are _actually_ willing to hear on my offer?!" he exclaims in shock.

"We need all the help we can get," Ciel explains. "And I can't let the queen down."

He narrows his eyes.

"However, if you turn out to be a complete waste of time, I will make sure Sebastian gives you a _very_ personal punishment. Do we have an understanding?"

Grell flinches a bit at the dark tone in Ciel's voice, which makes Sebastian smirk.

"...Don't worry, I won't steer you in the wrong direction," Grell says with an uneasy laugh.

"Good," Ciel replies coldly. "Now tell us what you want."

The fear in Grell's eyes vanish and is replace with mischievous excitement, with a big grin appearing on his face. Sebastian groans inwardly.

"When we get to the inn, I want to have a room just for me and Bassy," the crimson shinigami says. "And to have a single bed for us to share. Alone. All night long..."

Sebastian's face pales. Ciel's eyes widen and he glances up at Sebastian for a split second. But he quickly regains his calm composure.

"Alright, you got yourself a deal. And remember, if you fail to-"

He doesn't have time to finish his sentence as Grell quickly takes a hold of Sebastian's arm and squeals in delight.

"_Perfect_!" he exclaims excitedly. "Now, let's make our way to that inn, shall we?"


	4. A Step in the Right Direction

Early the next morning, Ciel lays in his bed, his eyes lazily trying to stay open. Sunlight barely enters in his room from the nearby window, the coolness of the morning making him shiver a bit. Ciel brings the blankets closer to him, wondering what today will bring.

Would Grell really keep his end of the bargain and actually get useful information? It is hard to tell, even for Ciel. But even if Grell does find something out, what good would it really do? Ciel doubts that this quest will become any easier, after all, the holy grail has been lost for centuries. What is the possibility that he, of all people, will be the one who finally finds it?

_How can someone like me, who has sold himself to a demon, possibly find a holy item?_

Suddenly there is a knock at the door. Ciel quickly sits up in his bed and clears his throat.

"You can come in, Sebastian."

At the sound of his name, Sebastian enters the room.

"Good morning, young master," the demon says with a smile. "I hope you had a goodnight's sleep."

"I was fine," Ciel replies emotionless. "Though I don't like how low rate this inn is, I won't criticize too much given the situation."

Sebastian nods.

"Thank you for understanding, my lord."

There is a short silence.

"...Is Grell still in your room?" Ciel finally asks.

Sebastian's smile quickly fades. He sighs heavily.

"He was gone by the time woke up this morning. Can't say that I'm displeased by that."

"So he ditched us?"

Sebastian shakes his head.

"I doubt that, knowing him. He is so lustful for me that he will show himself again."

He sighs again, looking like he has a migraine. Though he doesn't show it, Ciel can't help but feel some sympathy for Sebastian.

"Judging by the look on your face, I can assume that your night with Grell was 'fun?'"

"Actually, it could have been a _lot_ worse," Sebastian answers sincerely. "There were a few shirtless kisses involved, to my displeasure, but he didn't force me to do anything more physical than that."

He shrugs.

"I guess even he has some sensibility towards other people's feelings, to my great shock. ..._But_ I'm still going to kill him for making me do it, regardless."

Ciel nods in reply.

"Yes, especially since he has, at this point, abandon his end of the deal."

He gets out of bed.

"We have a long day ahead of us, Sebastian. We need to get as much of a head start as possible."

Quickly helping his master get dressed, Sebastian and Ciel then leave the room and head down to the lobby. Hopefully they can rent a carriage to take them to the next town or back to London so that Sebastian didn't have to piggyback Ciel all the way again.

_Though that was kind of fun..._

"_Finally_ you guys come down!"

Ciel blinks as he turns to see Grell waiting for them in the lobby. Sebastian raises an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, slightly puzzled.

Grell rolls his eyes.

"Waiting for you two, duh!"

"...Why?"

"Well, you told me to get information about that holy grail thing, didn't you?"

Grell sighs as he approaches them.

"I had to get up _very_ early this morning to get to the cinematic record archives without being watched by one of the higher officials," the grim reaper explains. "From what I could find, I was able to get some details of where the grail could possibly be located."

"What do you mean by 'possibly?'" Ciel questions, narrowing his eyes.

"By 'possibly,' I mean I know where the grail was back when it was last known by humans," Grell answers. "According to the cinematic records, it was held in a large castle by this guy...who's name I forgot."

"How can you forget something as important as that?" Sebastian questions.

Grell narrows his eyes.

"It was like three in the morning when I was there! I was tired, give me a break!"

He pouts, glaring at Sebastian a bit. Sebastian sighs, muttering a bit how much Grell fails at life, which Ciel found slightly amusing.

"_Anyways_," Grell continues, "the guy died horribly, and according to his cinematic record, the grail is still kept at that castle."

"What's the castle's name?" Ciel asks.

Grell shrugs his shoulders.

"I think it started with an A or something like that. But important details are not important. What _is_ important is that the castle was soon destroyed after that lord guy's death, or supposedly was. It-"

"Forgive me for interrupting," Sebastian suddenly cuts in. "But is this ruined castle deep within a cave guarded by an incredible monster?"

Grell blinks, his eyes widening.

"Uh...yeah. But how do you know that?"

"Well, being one hell of a butler, you have to know these things."

There is a small pause.

"..._Okay_," Grell continues, clearly confused. "But the cave is deep within this large forest in the far north. The forest isn't too hard to miss, and I can take you there myself."

"You can?" Ciel questions. _I highly doubt it._

Grell smiles.

"I can. And I will be more than happy to assist you even more."

He moves closer to Sebastian, staring deeply into the demon's eyes.

"Especially if I get to spend another night with _you_, dear Bassy!"

Sebastian narrows his eyes.

"And what makes you think that I will agree to such a thing? _Again._"

Grell giggles.

"Because I'm your only hope of reaching the grail, unless you want to try to hunt for this forest all by yourself, since I won't tell you anything else otherwise."

"And yet that seems like a more bearable experience then sleeping with you again."

Grell frowns in reply. Ciel rolls his eyes.

"But before any of that can happen, you need to takes us there first, Grell. And same rules apply from yesterday if you end up to be a waste of time."

Grell's eyes dart towards the earl and he gives an uneasy laugh.

"_Right_... Then let's get yourself a carriage, you scary little brat, you!"

He quickly runs out of the inn. Sebastian lets out a heavy sigh.

"My lord, though we need to obtain the grail with all costs, I do have my limits as to how much I am willing to sacrifice."

"I know," Ciel replies. "But keep it up until we get to this forest. After that, I will allow you to do whatever you want in terms of revenge. But just play along until we are in no longer in need of that freak."

He meets Sebastian's eyes.

"Do you understand?"

There is a very, very, very, _very_ long moment silence.

"...Yes, my lord. For what else could go wrong?"


	5. A Mystery Within a Mystery

"And...things have gotten worse."

"Oh come now, Bassy! Have a _little_ faith in me!"

"Grell, we have been walking in circles for the past hour now."

"We have not! I know _exactly_ where we are going!"

"Then how come we've pasted that same rock three times already?"

"...W-what do you mean? All of these rocks look the same!"

Sebastian rolls his eyes.

After traveling all morning by carriage, Grell had made Sebastian and Ciel go search for the forest on foot. He said that the forest they needed to get to was deep within the wilderness, completely isolated by modern day Britain. They have been following Grell for at least an hour now, maybe even more, Sebastian couldn't tell, and they have yet to see anything that resembles a forest.

"You have absolutely no idea where we are, do you, Grell?" Ciel finally says, great annoyance in his voice. "You're just trying to stall so that you can have Sebastian again, aren't you?"

Grell glares at Ciel.

"How _dare_ you accuse me of doing such a thing! To think that you believe I'm _that _desperate to be with Bassy!"

"That's because you are," Sebastian comments.

Grell glares at him as well. Suddenly he stops where he is and gives a heavy sigh.

"Okay...so _maybe_ I'm not the greatest when it comes to directions..."

"So you are admitting that you've gotten us lost?"

There is a long silence.

"...Just give me a minute to find out where we are and then I can get us back on track," Grell says. "I promise!"

Sebastian narrows his eyes, wanting more than anything to get rid of Grell. But it isn't like ripping apart the crimson shinigami limb by limb is going to make the situation better. Sebastian looks down at Ciel, trying to see if his master has any idea on what to do.

"How far from civilization is this forest suppose to be?" the earl asks, his expression completely unreadable. "Britain is a well developed country so there can't be too many places where a large forest could be."

"Very far," Grell answers, his eyes looking towards the distance. "I agree with you, this forest shouldn't be too hard to find. And really, I thought that we were in the right place..."

There is a long silence, the three of them each lost in their own thoughts.

Looking back over what he knows, Sebastian tries to come up with different ideas as to why this forest is so hard to find. Perhaps it is protected by some sort of magic? That would make sense, since this grail is supposedly very holy. And if it is protected by magic, it could make this supposed forest inaccessible to any mortal or demotic creature.

_But would it to a grim reaper?_

"...Have you considered that this forest may be protected by magic, Grell?" Sebastian finally asks.

Grell blinks.

"Uh...no, not really. Why, are you suggesting that a witch or something cast a spell on it?"

"Possibly," Sebastian explains. "Think about it. This holy grail is a very precious thing. And according to you and this other informer, there is a great monster keeping guard. Most likely, a _mythical_ beast. And England is not that big in land space. You would think through all these centuries, _someone_ would have come across it."

"Meaning that the only explanation as to why it has been lost for so long is the fact that it is protected by magic," Ciel concludes.

Sebastian nods.

"Indeed, young master. But even that leaves the question as to who cast the protective spell and why they did it."

"And if there is magic involved, this just makes things even more complicated," Ciel says. "Though, now it is starting to makes sense why the queen sent me to do this job."

"Could it be that she thought something like this was involved?"

"Maybe she had some suspicions, but if she truly knew about it, she would have said something about it in her letter."

Grell makes a coughing sound.

"Uh...well, now that is settled," he cuts in. "How do we find this forest if it is guarded by some magical force?"

"I believe I know the answer to that," Sebastian says. "Since your death scythe can cut through anything, perhaps you can use it to tear an opening through the magical barrier. Most likely, this barrier is holy, and me being a demon, I can't do much about it."

"So you just want me to randomly aim my death scythe in a direction and hope to find something?" Grell asks, an unconvinced look on his face.

Sebastian nods in reply.

Grell stares at him, looking like he still thought it is a stupid idea, but he does not question it. He then gets out his special custom death scythe out and turns it on.

"Well...here it goes!"

With a maniacal look in his eyes, Grell aims his death scythe in a random directions. Making sure he and Ciel are at a safe distance, Sebastian watches carefully to find any signs of a barrier. Aiming next to the rock that they passed by three times, Grell slices the air. As he did, a blinding, bright white light comes out. Sebastian shields his eyes from the light.

"Grell, that's it!" he exclaims. "Now can you make the hole big enough for all of us to get through?"

Grell backs away from the light.

"I-I'll try, so long as I don't go blind while doing it!"

Trying his best not to look at the light directly, Grell continues to rip apart the magical barrier with his death scythe. Eventually, he gets the opening big enough for the three of them to go in. Grell is the first to enter through the hole, followed by Ciel and then Sebastian. As he enters, Sebastian feels a great amount of pressure in the air around him, so heavy and thick that it is hard for him to breathe. He is convinced that the shield was made with light magic, which is now trying to force him out. Or eliminate him.

Now that they have entered through the barrier, the white light has disappeared. Sebastian, Grell, and Ciel now realize that they are no longer in the large, open English countryside, but in deep, dark forest. Ciel's eyes widen.

"Where are we?" he asks in total awe. "How did we..."

Grell studies the area around him.

"Hmm...it appears we entered some kind of time warp," he says thoughtfully. "The air here is a lot cleaner than anything I've breathed, plus it looks _just_ like the scenery that was in the old guy's cinematic record."

"So I can assume we are in the right place?" Ciel asks.

Grell nods.

"I'm sure of it, especially since that magic barrier was there. We are bound to find something."

He smiles.

"Seems like I did a good job, didn't I, Bassy? Perhaps I should get a kiss for my good work?"

There is no response.

"...Bassy?"

Both Grell and Ciel turn to see Sebastian on his knees, his eyes wide with pain as he takes heavy gasps of air. Ciel's eyes widen and Grell gasps in shock.

"Sebastian, what's going on?" Ciel demands.

Sebastian pants heavily.

"...That barrier was made out of light magic, my lord," he explains, his voice sounding like he is in agony. "It is made to counter any unholy creatures, specifically demons, from entering this forest. It-"

He cuts himself off as he coughs up a bit, some blood running down his mouth.

"Oh, my poor Bassy!" Grell exclaims coming to Sebastian's side. "We need to get you out of here before-"

He doesn't have time to finish his sentence, for all of a sudden a group of men come out of nowhere and ambush them. It happens so quickly that none of them have time to react, the men quickly taking a hold of Grell and Ciel.

"S-Sebastian!" Ciel exclaims as the men carries him and Grell away.

Sebastian's eyes widen, trying to get up and help his master. But one of the men kicks him down to the ground. In his weak state, Sebastian is completely powerless.

"Sebastian!"

He can still hear Ciel calling his name. The man kicks Sebastian in the face.

"Damn demons, can't leave us alone, can you?" he says in pure disgusts.

He aims a sword right at Sebastian.

"Just leave it be," one of his comrades suddenly says. "Can't you see that it is almost dead? Besides, we have that witch to deal with."

"...Right."

With one last kick in the face, the two men run after their comrades. Sebastian tries to get up again, but he is losing energy fast. The light magic is too much and he soon collapses. It becomes harder and harder to breath, and Sebastian feels himself losing consciousness.

"...Young master..."

As his vision blurs, he sees another figure come through the other side of the magical barrier. He can't tell who it is, but he can see the figure looking down at him.

"Looks like you got yourself into a lot of trouble, didn't you? He he he..."

And with that, Sebastian's world turns black.


	6. The Kuroshitsuji Witch Trials

"A witch, a witch!"

The men guide Ciel and Grell through a small medieval village, townspeople gathering around them and shouting. Ciel screams, kicks, bites, and tries anything he can do to escape. But nothing works, as the man has a tight grip on him. Grell isn't having much luck either, though from Ciel's perspective, he seems to be paying more attention to their captures' looks then trying to escape.

_Useless idiot…_

Eventually, with all the screaming of the townsfolk, they arrive in the village square. A man who looks to be a priest stands on a large wooden stage, tending to a swallow as he releases it into the air. With a coconut attached to its leg. Ciel guesses that he is the man in charge.

"A witch, a witch, a witch! Burn her, burn her, burn her!"

Grell is pushed towards the stage, soon followed by Ciel. The priest looks down at them.

"What is this?" he asks.

"We found a witch and her two servants in the forest!" the man who held Ciel exclaims. "May we burn her?"

_What the hell?!_

Ciel looks back at crowd like they are crazy. Grell smiles slightly.

"Uh…why would you think I'm…"

He cuts himself off as the priest moves his face closer to his, the priest's dark brown eyes staring deeply into Grell's green ones. The grim reaper blushes at the closeness, no doubt having perverted things going through his mind.

After a long moment, the priest moves his attention to Ciel. Ciel narrows his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. The priest removes the earl's eye patch, and Ciel immediately closes his left eye in order to hide Sebastian's mark. To his relief, the priest is dumb enough not to force him to open his eye, and backs away.

"They are strange looking, but that does not automatically mean that we have a witch and a demon," the priest says. "Just how do you know that she is a witch?"

"She looks like one!" a man exclaims.

"Yeah, she looks like one! With the hair and the strange thing on her face," another agrees.

The crowd goes hysterical, crying out that Grell is a witch and burning her. Ciel would have said something, but he fears that aggravating these people could make the situation worse. And with Sebastian nowhere in sight, he is not willing to take that chance.

_Just where is he anyway__?_

He remembers the weak state Sebastian was in right before the ambush. Is it possible that he was able to escape and is now coming up with a plan to save him and Grell? Or is he too weak to even do that?

"Well, I'm flattered that you believe me to be such a powerful and seductive creature," Grell says, clearly enjoying the attention. "But I'll have you know that I am no witch. I'm just simply a death god."

The priest narrows his eyes.

"So you _are_ into the forbidden arts? You _have_ been seduced by the devil to serve him?"

Grell gives a blank stare.

"Uh…no? But if this devil is a total-"

"What she means to say that is, no, she hasn't been involved with any sort of witchcraft," Ciel quickly says, hitting Grell's side to make him shut up. "I can assure you that it is a mistake."

Grell winces a bit.

"Oh, so you are _now_ acknowledging my true gender, are you?"

Ciel hits him again.

The priest moves his eyes from Ciel to Grell and then back to Ciel again.

"Don't listen to him!" one of the villagers suddenly shouts. "That woman right there turned me into a newt, she did!"

Everyone moves their gaze to him, Grell having a blank look on his face while Ciel looks at the villager like he is on some kind of drug.

"…A newt?" the priest asks.

There is a long moment of silence. The villager that made the accusation looks down towards the ground, his dirty blonde hair getting down in his face.

"…I got better…"

There a short silence.

"...Burn them anyway!"

"Yeah, burn the witch!"

"_Burn_!"

The crowd goes wild. Ciel mentally face palms while Grell still looks confused.

"Wait...when they say 'burn the witch,'" Grell questions, the gears in his head slightly turning. "Do they mean..."

"Yes, Grell," Ciel replies with a sigh. "They mean tying you to a stake and setting you on fire."

Grell's eyes widen.

"I can't die like that! I'm far too young and fabulous to die!"

He starts to cry, and at the same time, the priest calms the crowd down.

"Calm down, my brothers!" he exclaims. "There are ways to tell if she is a witch, and if that boy with her is indeed, a demon."

"There are?!" the villagers exclaim.

_Yes, you morons!_ Ciel exclaims to himself.

"Tell me," the priest continues, "what do you do with witches?"

"Burn them!" the villagers cry, along with Grell sobbing louder.

"And what do you burn with witches?"

"More witches!"

A villager with dark hair gets slapped by the dirty blonde hair guy. There is a long pause, making Ciel feel more irritated then afraid.

_Honestly, how did we get captured by these imbeciles?! _

"...Wood!" a small man suddenly says. "You burn witches with wood!"

The priest's eyes light up.

"Good! And why do witches burn?"

The crowd goes silent again, as the villagers all think hard about it. At this point, Grell stops crying. Ciel makes eye contact with him, silently telling him to keep quiet and hopefully they will do something stupid and let them go.

"...Because they are made out of wood?" the dirty blonde villager finally asks.

The priest nods.

"That's right. So, how do we tell if she is made of wood?"

"...Burn her?"

Grell tenses up.

"No. But think of this," the priest replies. "Does wood sink in water?"

The dark-haired villager shakes his head.

"No. It floats!"

"So does that mean we should throw her into the lake and see if she floats?" the smaller man asks.

"Oh please, anything but _that_!" Grell whimpers softly. "My hair will get ruined!"

"At least it is better than being burned alive," Ciel snaps.

"...Good point. Oh, if only Bassy would save us!"

"Ah, but throwing her into the lake would be very time consuming," the priest says. "So, we must think of another solution to find out if she floats in water."

The villagers all give puzzled looks, and even Ciel is unsure as to what the priest is suggesting. The priest looks at them all in the eye.

"Answer this: what also, besides wood, floats in water?"

"Why a duck, of course."

Ciel's eyes widen.

He, Grell, the priest, and the villagers all turn to see the Undertaker walking towards them. Grell's jaw drops.

"_Undertaker_?!" he and Ciel exclaim at the same time.

The Undertaker smiles in reply. The priest stares at the older shinigami for a moment.

"...Exactly." He turns to the villagers. "So, logically..."

"...If she weighs the same as a duck," the dark-haired villager says slowly, "then she's made of wood...

The priest smiles. "And therefore..."

There is a long silence. Ciel's eye twitches.

"...A witch!"

The crowd cries out loudly. Suddenly, two villagers take a hold of Grell by the arms and start to drag him away. Grell panics and tries to get away but nothing he does works. They all leave Ciel where he is, completely ignoring his existence. Once they are all gone, including the priest, the Undertaker approaches the earl and helps him stand up.

"I told you shouldn't have said those things out loud, milord," he says with an amused smile. "For this was a _really_ humiliating thing for you to endure..."

"Shut up," Ciel replies, refusing to make eye contact. "But now, thanks to you, that idiot is going to be burned by those fools."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the Undertaker replies. "It is impossible for a full grown man...woman...thing, to weigh the same as a duck. So it should be fine."

Ciel puts his eye patch back on.

"I see."

A suspicious look appears in his gaze.

"But just _how_ did you find us anyway? Have you been following us?"

The Undertaker giggles.

"You could say that... But I just thought I would try to help you out in your quest, since I've recently remembered some important details about the grail."

"And yet that still doesn't answer my question," Ciel counters.

The Undertaker's smile grows.

"Well, would it interest you if I told you that if it wasn't for me, your little demon butler would be dead by now."

Ciel's eyes widen. The Undertaker nods his head.

"The light magic would have killed him if I didn't come when I did. I was able to use some magic of my own to hide his demon nature to where the spell won't try to kill him. As long as he doesn't try anything, he will be fine."

"Where is he now?" Ciel asks.

"He's resting up in a tree not too far from the village. Once that little grim reaper gets freed, I will take you to him."

The Undertaker looks up.

"Ah, and here it comes now."

Grell storms up to them, his fists clutched up tightly.

"_You almost got me killed_!" he shouts at the top of his lungs at the Undertaker. "Not only did the compared my weight to a goddamn duck, they got the stake ready and everything! I. Could. Have. _Died_!"

The Undertaker smiles.

"You are welcome. Now, shall we make our way to Sebastian? I'm sure he must be coming to by now."

Grell's eyes widen, the anger in his gaze vanishing completely.

"...S-Sebastian? Is he...?"

The Undertaker nods.

"Just follow me. He he he..."

* * *

Sebastian groans in his sleep as he slowly starts to open his eyes.

"Ugh...where...?"

"Bassy!"

As soon as he opens his mouth, he feels Grell put his arms around him and hug him closely. Sebastian gasps for air, as Grell's grip becomes tighter and tighter.

"Oh, Sebastian, you had me _so_ scared!" the red shinigami exclaims. "The way your handsome face was so pale..."

Sebastian grunts.

"...Thank you for the concern, Grell," the demon chocks out. "But I would appreciate it _greatly_ if you gave me some space..."

Grell's face turns bright red.

"Right...of course, darling."

He backs away. Sebastian sighs heavily as he sits up, now realizing that he is laying underneath a large tree. He looks around to see Ciel sitting beside him, who appears to be unharmed. Sebastian smiles slightly.

"Good to see you aren't injured, young master. I apologize for not being fit enough to help you sooner."

"I know," Ciel quickly states, avoiding eye contact. "Just forget about it, alright?"

Sebastian raises an eyebrow, his curiosity growing.

"Why? You seem embarrassed."

"He he he! And embarrassing it was for the young earl and grim reaper!"

Sebastian's eyes widen as he turns to see the Undertaker. But before he has a chance to speak, the retired shinigami says, "It is better not to ask unimportant questions as to why I am suddenly here. There is so much to do and so little time."

Sebastian pauses for a moment before replying.

"...Very well. But I assume you were the one who rescued the young master and Grell, along with myself?"

He says that last part in a softer voice, as if reluctant to speak it.

"Indeed it was I," the Undertaker answers with a grin. "And I can assume you know what I did to you?"

Sebastian nods and the Undertaker smiles.

"Good. That makes things easy."

"Wait, hold on, I would like to know what you did to him..."

Everyone ignores Grell's question as Ciel asks, "What are you going to do now, Undertaker? You said that you remembered something about the holy grail earlier."

"Indeed I did, milord," the Undertaker replies. "And I plan on giving you this information when you need it, as I will be coming with you."

Sebastian glares at him suspiciously.

"And why would you want to come with us?"

The Undertaker chuckles.

"Because you look like you can use the extra hand. There will be bigger challenges to face then those paranoid, uneducated villagers. Even with Grell and his death scythe, he can only do so much on his own. The earl can't do anything to protect himself and you, Sebastian, will only kill yourself if you try to use your demonic powers in this realm."

His slight malevolent grin grows.

"And it wouldn't be the smartest idea to not accept free assistance in a quest that has been uncompleted for centuries. He he he..."

Sebastian narrows his eyes but says nothing in reply, neither does Ciel or Grell. Sebastian knows that the Undertaker is right, there is no way that the three of them could complete this quest on their own, with the limitations put upon them. And yet how can they trust a man who just appears out of nowhere and is suddenly offering help?

As if reading his mind, the Undertaker says, "I'm not trying to mislead you in any way. If I truly did not want you to find the grail, why would I have given you those clues back at the castle or help you out just a few minutes ago?"

Sebastian says nothing in reply. He then makes eye contact with Ciel, who looks just as concerned as he is. After giving him a look that said, 'just go with it,' Ciel says to the Undertaker, "Alright, you can come with us. But I won't pay for your services."

The Undertaker smiles gleefully.

"You don't have to, milord. For you and your little grim reaper friend already did with that witch trial. And I have the feeling more hilarity will awaits us!"

He giggles to himself as Ciel and Grell give horrified looks. Sebastian is a bit puzzled by this, but a part of him tells him that he doesn't want to know.

"Now that is settled, let us continue before it gets dark," Ciel says as he stands up. "Sebastian, are you strong enough to walk?"

Sebastian nods.

"Yes, my lord. If I couldn't recover quickly from a near to death experience, what kind of butler would I be?"

"...One failure of a butler?" Grell suggests.

Sebastian narrows his eyes.

"It was a rhetorical question, Grell."

"...Oh."

Ciel rolls his eyes and the Undertaker laughs.

They then start to travel towards the north, in hopes to find another clue leading towards the location of the holy grail.


	7. A Moment of Peace,,,Sort of

"I can't take it anymore!" Grell exclaims with pure exhaustion. "_I can't take it anymore_!"

He falls dramatically to the ground, breathing heavily as his legs twitch. Sebastian, Ciel, and the Undertaker stop walking and turn to face him. Sebastian lets out a heavy sigh.

"Grell, get up. Now."

Grell whimpers.

"But we've been walking _all_ day, Bassy!" he wines in a high-pitched voice. "I'm _tired_!"

"So am I, but we have to keep moving," Sebastian says coldly. "Now, if you don't get up in the next five seconds, we are leaving you."

Grell's eyes widen. "_Bassy_!"

Ciel rolls his eyes.

"Just carry him or something, Sebastian. It's pathetic to see him like this."

Grell's eyes light up.

"Yes, yes_, yes_! I would _totally_ love it if you carried me, Sebastian darling!"

Sebastian's eye twitches in completely horror. The Undertaker snickers.

"He he he! Though the little shinigami does have a point, we have been walking for a very long time."

He looks through the thick branches and leaves of the trees to see the darkening sky.

"It is getting late as well. We should start setting a camp for the night. After all, you never know what could happen in the dark..."

He gives off a soft, slightly unpleasant laugh. Ciel takes a step back from the Undertaker.

"…Fine. Sebastian, set up a camp."

Sebastian bows. "Yes, my lord."

Grell sighs heavily, disappointed that he won't be carried off by the handsome butler.

Sebastian, with the Undertaker's help, begins to construct a camp for the four of them. Grell sits against one of the tree, watching both men work with a very persistent eye. Ciel sits besides Grell. His eyelids become heavier and heavier by the second, his breathing becoming slower and steadier. But even though he tries to resist, weariness soon takes over the young earl and he soon finds himself in a deep sleep. Sebastian sees this from the corner of his eye and smiles slightly.

"He he he! It seems that Grell wasn't the only one who was exhausted."

Sebastian blinks as the Undertaker brings in some firewood. The Undertaker smiles.

"Though he is the queen's guard dog, he is still a child. And children don't always have the strength to carry on like this."

Sebastian raises an eyebrow.

"Are you calling my master weak?"

The Undertaker shakes his head.

"I'm not. Not everyone can experience a tragic loss like he did and come out sane. I'm just saying that perhaps…he should just act like a child for once instead of trying so hard to be all grown up."

There is a small silence, the Undertaker now setting down the firewood. Sebastian takes it and starts to build a fire. He looks up at the Undertaker.

"Just what are you trying to say, Undertaker?" he asks with suspicion.

"I'm not trying to say anything," the Undertaker replies with a large grin. "Am I not allowed to voice my thoughts?"

"I never said that. But it sounds like you are trying to suggest something."

The Undertaker laughs softly.

"And just what do you think I'm suggesting?"

Sebastian takes his eyes off the Undertaker as a small flame starts to appear. He is about to reply to the Undertaker's question when Grell suddenly shows up out of nowhere and plops himself in next to the fire.

"Ah, _finally_ some place warm!" he exclaims. "It was starting to get really cold out here…"

He moves closer to Sebastian, laying his head on his shoulder. Sebastian growls in reply and the Undertaker giggles.

"I'll get the earl since you seem busy at the moment, Sebastian."

The Undertaker continues to laugh, and even harder once he sees Sebastian's death glare.

But Sebastian eventually finds himself relaxing a bit. It has been a long day, with all the almost dying and all. Grell lets out a small yawn.

"My…I can't remember the last time I've been on an adventure such as this," he says softly. "In fact, I don't think I've done anything as exciting as this since I became a reaper..."

"Speaking of being a grim reaper, shouldn't you be reporting back or something?" Sebastian asks. "You have been absent for a good amount of time by now."

"Yeah, Will is probably losing it since I've been slacking off," Grell replies. "But, I said I would help you, Bassy. Besides, when will I have the opportunity to do _this_ again?"

He snuggles closer to him. Sebastian groans.

"And be grateful that my master finds you useful at the moment. Otherwise, I would have strangled you already."

Grell giggles softly.

"Oh, Sebastian! You may act all tough and cold hearted, but deep inside, you know you are enjoying this."

Sebastian's eye twitches.

"No, I'm certainly not."

"Denial!"

"You are the one who is in denial, Grell."

"At least I can act on my heart without regrets!"

"At least I know what gender I am."

"At least I can act on my own free will!"

"At least I don't have a million restraining orders between me and almost every attractive person I laid my eyes on."

Grell opens his mouth to come up with a reply but no words come out.

At that moment, the Undertaker returns carrying a sleeping Ciel. He lays Ciel against a tree that is close to the fire, trying to make things as comfortable for him as possible. The Undertaker then sits across from Sebastian and Grell.

"The holy grail shouldn't be too far from here, if I remember correctly," he says with a large smile. "We should be at its resting place within a day or two."

"Is that so?" Sebastian replies. "And how do you know this?"

"Because he just does," Grell says sleepily, blinking his eyes a couple of times in order to stay awake.

The Undertaker snickers.

"I took a look around before I brought the earl," he answers. "But we must be kept on full alert, for _they_ might show up."

"'They?'" Sebastian gives a puzzled look. "Who is 'they?'"

"Your doom."

Sebastian, the Undertaker, and Grell turn to see a shadowy figure approaching them. Sebastian stands up, much to the discomfort of Grell, preparing himself for any kind of assault. But the figure gave no signs of aggression, only slowly coming closer and closer to them. The light from the fire slowly shines onto the figure, which turns out to be no more than a small old man. Grell stares at him, trying to hold back from laughing.

"Really, we got worked up for _that_?!"

"Don't let your eyes fool you," Sebastian says. "Not everything can be what they appear to be."

The Undertaker nods in agreement, chuckling to himself for no reason. The old man starts to chuckle as well.

"Those who seek the holy grail only bring themselves to eternal peril," the old man says. "For it is no longer in humanity's reach."

Sebastian can't help but smirk. What kind of threat is that?

"Oh really? And what about nonhumans?"

The old man snickers.

"Like yourselves? You won't get very far."

The Undertaker laughs.

"Don't underestimate us. We are much more than what we appear."

The old man stares at the Undertaker for a moment. Slowly, his smile begins to grow.

"Ah…and how can you be sure? For so many have tried to face _them _and only a few return to tell the tale. Like a certain man I know... He he he!"

The old man gets into a laughing fit, as if what he just said was the funniest thing ever. The Undertaker frowns.

"Why are you laughing? That wasn't even remotely funny…"

"Now you know how we feel when you start laughing at random," Sebastian says.

He turns his attention to the old man.

"Who are you and who is this 'they' you keep mentioning?"

The old man continues to laugh his ass off, which really irritates Sebastian, along with Grell, and even the Undertaker. Miraculously, Ciel is sleeping through it all. Eventually, the old man gets a hold of himself.

"You may call me…"

He pauses for dramatic effect. A long moment of silence passes.

"…Just get on with it!" Grell cries out angrily.

"Yes, get on with it," the Undertaker agrees.

The old man laughs and Sebastian gives him the death glare.

"Get _on_ with it!"

The old man gives a creepy grin, so creepy that it could compete with the Undertaker's.

"After you face _them_ and kill the mighty monster hidden deep within the cave, come to the Bridge of Death, where you will be put to the final test by the almighty, fearful wizard…Tim!"

"…Tim?"

That's the most unimpressive name Sebastian has ever heard.

The old man gets into another laughing fit. As he laughs, his body slowly starts to fade away, eventually disappearing completely. His voice echoes throughout the forest, like an evil spirit is looming over them.

That just annoys Sebastian.

"…So, who wants to take the first watch?" he asks, changing the subject and pretending the last few minutes never happened.

"I will," the Undertaker offers, his usual smile returning to his face.

Sebastian nods in reply.

He then walks over to Ciel. He takes off his coat and puts it over his young master. Ciel moves slightly in his sleep but says nothing. A small smile appears on Sebastian's face as he settles himself right next to Ciel, closing his eyes and letting sleep take over him.


	8. The Undertaker VS The Black Knight

Sitting high up in a tree as the sun starts to rise, the Undertaker watches over the camp. He has a large smile on his face, enjoying the peacefulness of the morning. It is calm and quiet, the perfect moment for one to get lost in their own thoughts and think over the meaning of life.

...Or the perfect time to pull a prank on all the people one is camping out with.

The Undertaker snickers softly to himself, glancing down at his sleeping companions. Sebastian is sleeping against a tree, Grell laying on his chest while Ciel rests his head on Sebastian's shoulder, the two of them snuggling close to him. All three were completely oblivious when the Undertaker moved them during the night, and the reaction all three will have when they finally wake will be priceless! ...And of course they will try to kill him for it, or at least Sebastian and Ciel will, which is why Undertaker is sitting up in a tree.

The Undertaker leans back against the tree, his eyelids feeling a bit heavy. He has been up all night keeping watch, and only now is it beginning to affect him. He hopes that the others will be waking soon so that they can get going, before he himself falls asleep.

_ I have to be awake so I can see their reactions on first sight, he he he!_

Minutes upon minutes pass, yet nothing happens. Eventually, Undertaker's eyes close by themselves and his breathing starts to slow down.

Suddenly, he hears the loud sound of metal colliding in the distance. Undertaker sits up, carefully trying to tell where the sound is coming from. It sounds like it is coming from the northwest, and it is becoming louder and louder.

Curious to see what it is, Undertaker jumps out of the tree and starts heading towards the sound. He walks for awhile, carefully making sure his footsteps are not heard. Eventually, he comes across a small river flowing through the forest, where the source of the colliding metal seems to be coming from. Hiding behind a tree, Undertaker sees two medieval knights, one dressed in green the other in black, having a sword fight.

The green knight charges at the black knight multiple times, the black knight blocking and dogging his attacks with little effort. The green knight tries aiming for the black knight's head, legs, torso, head again, and arms, but nothing seems to work. The black knight swings his sword at the green knight's head, but the green knight doges just in time. The green knight punches the black knight in the face, distracting the black knight long enough for him to get a few feet behind him. Aiming his sword, the green knight screams at the top of his lungs and charges. The black knight hears him, turns around to face him, and throws his sword at his head. It is a straight shot, hitting the green knight in between his eyes. With blood coming out his helmet, the green knight falls to the ground dead.

The Undertaker chuckles to himself, knowing that the green knight was a complete fool to give himself away like that. The black knight silently takes his sword from the green knight's head, wiping the blood off it on the corpse. And for some disturbing reason, the Undertaker finds it funny, as he laughs like he heard the greatest joke ever. The black knight hears him and turns to his attention to the Undertaker, which makes the retired shinigami laugh even harder. The black knight approaches him.

"Thou are trespassing on holy ground," he says in a stone cold voice. "Those who dare come this far shall pay in thou blood."

The Undertaker leans against the tree for support, trying to get in control over his laughing fit.

"_He he he_! It's been awhile since I saw something so funny as this," he says as he wipes the drool off his face. "I can see why who ever cast this time halting spell has decided to keep you alive for so long."

His grin grows.

"But I wouldn't point your sword at me. I would hate to have to kill you after a laugh like that."

The black knight shows no emotion.

"Thou are trespassing on holy ground," the knight repeats. "Those who dare come this far shall pay in thou blood."

He points his sword at the Undertaker's heart. The Undertaker looks down at the sword and then back at the black knight.

"He he he... You really are looking for a fight?"

He backs away and sighs.

"Shame that I have to strike down an amusing fellow like yourself. _But_..."

His twisted smile returns.

"...It has been centuries since I've had a good fight."

Moving his bangs back to reveal his striking green eyes, the Undertaker takes out his death scythe. He then runs towards the black knight and their blades collide. The Undertaker aims his death scythe for a killing blow but the black knight is able to block each of his attacks. But unlike the green knight where all his movements were predictable, the Undertaker's are very swift and hard to match up with every single time he strikes. Eventually, the black knight forces himself to retreat a bit, making the Undertaker smirk with amusement.

"What's the matter, am I too much for you?" he taunts. "He he he! Perhaps you are not as skilled as you thought you were..."

A flicker of anger appears the black knight's eyes. In pure rage, the black knight charges at Undertaker, flinging his sword in all directions. With a large smile on his face, the Undertaker effortlessly blocks each attack, making the black knight's fury grow. Aiming his sword at Undertaker's head, the black knight strikes, but the Undertaker swiftly moves out of the way and gets behind the knight. With a dark humorous look in his eyes, the Undertaker slams his elbow into the back of the black knight's helmet and cuts off his right arm with his death scythe. The black knight's eyes widen, blood pouring out of his wound. He turns around to face the Undertaker, his eyes going back and forth from him to his fallen arm.

"You still have a lot to learn, my friend," the Undertaker says with a large grin. "May this teach you lesson the next time you challenge a grim reaper."

The black knight blinks.

"The fight is far from over!" he suddenly exclaims. "Thou shall feel the wrath of the almighty black knight!"

The Undertaker laughs.

"I like your fighting spirit, however you can no longer fight with a heavy sword with one arm."

"Tis but a scratch!" the black knight cries.

The Undertaker frowns.

"...But your arm's off. You have no hope of winning with one arm."

The black knight lifts his sword into the air. "No it is not! Thou is trying to trick me with witchcraft!"

_Oh, so we are back to that again? _

The Undertaker tips his head to side, a puzzled look in his eyes.

"If that's the case, then what's that on the ground?" he asks, pointing towards the black knight's fallen arm with this death scythe.

The black knight glances down at his arm, blood spilling out of it, and then back at the Undertaker.

"I've had worse."

"...Liar."

"Come on, you extremely feminine looking man!"

The black knight, with great effort, charges at the Undertaker. The Undertaker blocks his flimsy attacks, his mouth twitching as he tries not to distract himself from laughing. Screaming like a Spartan, the black knight tries to strike down Undertaker, where the shinigami just simply moves to the side and cuts off his other arm. The Undertaker smirks.

"Victory is mine."

He begins to walk away, chuckling to himself at how amusing the black knight is, but then is stopped as the black knight charges at him and pushes him to the ground. The Undertaker falls to the ground, trying to get up as the black knight kicks him in the side.

"Come on then!" the black knight cries. "Have at thou!"

He continues to kick him nonstop. Eventually, the Undertaker is able to get away, quickly moving back to his feet with his death scythe in hand.

"He he he, you are indeed brave, sir knight," the Undertaker says. "And a fool as well. I have cut off both your arms and you can no longer fight."

He smiles to himself.

"Though if only we were back at my shop in London, I could fix you up really nicely with your cut off limbs, since it won't be long before you are dead. He he he..."

The black knight starts to circle the Undertaker as he fantasizes.

"Oh, have enough, eh? Afraid thou will be slain by the almighty black knight, eh?"

The Undertaker laughs.

"You've got no arms left, foolish black knight! It is only a matter of time before you bleed to death."

"I have my arms!" the black knight cries. "I am ready to strike thou down at any moment!"

"Then what are those two things doing on the ground?" the Undertaker asks in between laughs.

"Tis only a flesh wound!"

He kicks Undertaker in the shin. The Undertaker flinches back, grunting in pain, as the black knight continues to kick him and shout, "Chicken, chicken!"

The Undertaker gets annoyed by this, his laughter ceasing all together. He cuts off the black knight's right leg, but the black knight is still able to keep standing by hopping on one foot.

"Right, I'll do you for that!"

He press himself against Undertaker, using all his strength to push him over.

But it fails.

Epicly.

The Undertaker raises an eyebrow at him.

"...This fight was silly before, now it's getting ridiculous, even by my standers," he says. "Really, you look pathetic."

"I'm not finish with thou yet!" the black knight screams in a high-pitched voice. "I'll bite thou legs off!"

This moment is so ungodly stupid that it forces the Undertaker face palm.

"What are you going to do, bleed on me?"

The black knight pushes harder on the Undertaker.

"_I'm invisible_!"

"...You're a loony."

The black knight puts his face into the Undertaker's arm as he tries desperately to push him over.

"The black knight always triumphs! Have at thou!"

The Undertaker sighs. In almost an act of mercy, he cuts off the black knight's final leg. He falls to the ground, looking all around him. The Undertaker smiles at him.

"Alright, we'll call it a draw."

He chuckles.

"I have no doubt that you will be brought back to life once this day is over, so I won't bother reaping your dumb as a dirt soul. Enjoy slowly bleeding to death!"

Putting his death scythe away, he walks away, the black knight insulting and shouting at him as he does.

_Now I have to get back to the earl and the others before they run into _them_, since they will be completely overwhelmed if I'm not there to help._

Suddenly, the Undertaker stops all movement, his eyes staring into the never ending forest. He blinks, glancing in all directions.

"...Which way did I come from again?"


	9. We Are the Knights Who Say,,,

While the Undertaker fights the black knight and gets himself incredibly lost, Sebastian, Ciel, and Grell continue to sleep in a peaceful silence. Grell smiles to himself as he dreams, mumbling Sebastian and William's names and other perverted things in his sleep. He feels completely relaxed, being extremely comfortable to have such a warm, soft pillow to lay his head on.

...Though speaking of which, didn't he fall asleep on the cold hard ground? How did he all of a sudden get to lay on something soft? Grell slowly opens his tired eyes, looking up to realize that he is laying on Sebastian's chest. His eyes widen, a large blush appearing on his face as his mind tries to process what is happening.

_I am lying on top of Bassy, without forcing it upon him. Oh. My. God._

Before he has the chance to make another move, Sebastian at this point wakes up. At the sight of Grell, Sebastian violently pushes him off of him, which causes Ciel to wake up.

"Violating someone's personal space is not the best of ideas, Grell," Sebastian says in a dangerously low voice. "Especially if that someone was already in a bad mood..."

Grell crawls away from Sebastian.

"H-hey, I never moved from where I fell asleep last night!" he cries, portraying his innocence. "I just happened to wake up, and I was on top of you!"

_Not that I am complaining..._

Sebastian narrows his eyes. "Unlikely story."

He picks Grell up from the collar of his shirt and gets ready to punch him. Ciel rubs his eyes.

"...Sebastian, just let him go," the young earl commands with a yawn. "It's too early in the day for me to get a headache."

Sebastian looks back at Ciel, a disappointed look in his eyes. He lets out a heavy sigh.

"Yes, young master."

He let's go of Grell and he drops to the ground, whimpering a bit from the fall.

"It already past dawn," Sebastian announces as he looks up at the sky. "Undertaker must have either kept watched all night or fell asleep and nothing eventful happened to wake us up."

"Speaking of which, where is the Undertaker?" Ciel asks. "I don't see him anywhere."

Grell blinks, looking all around the campsite, for surely the Undertaker had to be here. But to his surprise, the retired grim reaper is nowhere in sight. A puzzled look appears on Grell's face.

"Do you think he decided to go on ahead of us to see if there is any danger?"

"Knowing the Undertaker, _who_ the hell knows," Ciel says, rubbing his forehead. "But he will show up eventually, so I wouldn't worry much about it."

Sebastian nods in agreement.

"Yes, we can't afford us to get distracted. Especially with that old man from last night, when he said there is more danger to come."

It takes awhile for Grell to reply. "...Oh yeah, I forgot about him."

Ciel raises an eyebrow.

"Old man? What are you two talking about?"

Both Grell and Sebastian turn to Ciel. Sebastian smirks.

"That's right. I forgot that you had fallen asleep before he came, young master."

Ciel narrows his eyes, which makes Sebastian's eyes glow with amusement. Grell rolls his eyes.

"Okay, can we get a move on _now_?"

"Yes, once you tell me what happened with this 'old man,'" Ciel answers.

Grell rolls his eyes again.

"In a nutshell, the three of us were sitting beside a fire, me resting my head on Bassy's shoulder. It was a perfect romantic moment, minus Undertaker saying something about a dangerous 'them.' Then this creepy old man shows up and makes Bassy move, much to my dislike. He starts saying weird shit, Undertaker starts to realize why everyone avoids him, Bassy gets annoyed, I get annoyed because Bassy is annoyed. And then he says go to a Bridge of Death, find a wizard name Tim, who I hope is pretty to look at, and then we _finally_ find the goddamn grail, in which Sebastian picks me up bridal-style and we walk off into the sunset!"

A dreamy look appears in Grell's eyes as he says that last part. Sebastian's eye twitches.

"No. Just _no_."

He turns to Ciel.

"But that is basically what happened. This journey is far from over, and will only grow harder as we go on."

Ciel blinks.

"Then we should get going. And from the sounds of it, we need to find this 'them' before we can get to this 'Bridge of Death.'"

Sebastian nods.

"I shall lead you to victory and protect you with all my might, my lord."

He gives a small bow and the two of them start to head north.

"Hey, don't forget about me!"

Grell quickly gets up from the ground and runs after Sebastian and Ciel. They walk in complete silence, the air becoming slightly colder the further north they go. A fog starts to form out of nowhere and with little reason, making the entire forest seem more sinister looking. Chills go up Grell's spine, partly because he is cold and the other part because he is getting a little freaked out. This whole forest has been nothing but a freak show, from him being accused of being a witch and the appearance of the crazy old man to now being forced to face another strange foe.

_Is this stupid grail really worth all this trouble?_

"...Stop where ever you are."

Grell freezes in place at the sound of Sebastian's voice. The entire forest becomes deathly still, the fog now incredibly thick and blinding. Grell moves closer to Sebastian, taking a hold of his arm.

"W-why did you make us stop, Sebastian?" he asks, unable to hide his fear.

"I hear something," Sebastian answers emotionless. "...Something is surrounding us and is coming closer and closer."

Grell tenses up, tightening his grip. Sebastian puts his hands on Ciel's shoulders and brings him closer to him, holding on to him protectively. Ciel does nothing to resist, as he too seems a bit tense. Surely enough, Grell begins to hear the footsteps that Sebastian had mentioned, starting to see large shadows getting projected towards them. Dark figures are appearing all around them from the fog, large devil like horns on them.

_Is this _'them_?!'_ Grell asks himself fearfully. _Is 'them' a group of demons ready to hunt us down?!_

And more importantly, are they sexy like Sebastian?

"...Ni!"

Out of the fog, a tall knight with antlers on top of his helmet and a long mustache appears before them, with at least a hundred men behind him. Together, they encircle Grell, Sebastian, and Ciel, leaving no room for escape. The three of them look up at the knight with antlers, his dark eyes staring down at all three of them.

"Ni! You have come far into this forest, brave adventurers!" the knight exclaims. "But your journey ends here, for we are your doom!"

"And who are you?" Ciel demands.

The knight and his men smirk, some of them laughing softly.

"We are the protectors of this forest, one of the many tests to make sure evil stays away from the holy grail. We are..."

He pauses for dramatic effect.

"...The Knights Who Say Ni!"

"Ni!"

"Ni!"

"Ni!"

"Ni!"

His men chant continuously the word 'ni.' Ciel gives a puzzled look.

"'Knights Who Say Ni?' I've never heard of you."

He looks up at Sebastian for an explanation, but the demon's face remains emotionless.

"...The Knights Who Say Ni," Sebastian says softly. "I should have guessed that your cult would be here."

"Yeah," Grell agrees, letting go of Sebastian in order to grab his death scythe. "And those who see them rarely live to tell the tale..."

The leader of the Knights Who Say Ni smiles.

"Indeed. For it has been many centuries since the last man got away from us... And he wasn't _even_ a human!"

He pauses.

"But you are an interesting trio... A human accompanied by a shinigami and a demon, in search of the grail no doubt."

"We are, and we will do whatever it takes to reach it," Ciel says. "We will fight you to the death if we need to!"

The Knights Who Say Ni laugh.

"Oh, we do not wish to fight you, oh no!" the leader of the knights exclaim. "But we do require a sacrifice that must be played out exactly how we wish in order to continue."

"A sacrifice?" Sebastian questions. "Like a human sacrifice?"

The leader of the knights narrows his eyes malevolently.

"No, for what we require is something _much_ more terrifying and mind boggling. We want..."

He pauses for dramatic effect, which really ticks off Grell and Sebastian.

"...a shrubbery!"

"...A _what_?"

Ciel gives a puzzle look while Sebastian resists the erg to face palm and Grell has his mouth wide open from shock. The leader of the Knights Who Say Ni nods his head.

"Yes, a shrubbery! And if you do not appease us, we will ni you to death! _Ni_!"

The whole cult starts to shout the word 'ni' at them, making it sound like that they are casting a curse on them. But it has no effect on Grell, Sebastian, or Ciel, in fact, it just confuses them even more.

"...Why would you want a shrubbery?" Grell questions.

"Because it will make this dark forest look nice," the leader of the knights explains. "Do you have a problem with that, shinigami?"

"Um...may-_ow_!"

Grell stops in mid sentence as Ciel elbows him in the stomach. He clears his throat.

"Alright, if that's what you want, Knights Who Say Ni. We shall get you a shrubbery to pass through this forest."

The leader of the knights nods his head slowly.

"Yes...that is the agreement. And make sure that you get one that looks nice."

"Of course," Ciel replies. "I shall give you the best shrubbery that England has to offer."

"And one that isn't too expensive," the leader adds.

"...Okay, I will keep that in mind."

"And make sure that when you get the shrubbery that the shrubbery looks even and isn't too green that the shrubbery will stand out from the trees."

"...Fine. And-"

"And don't get one that is too large or too small, but a good size that will compliment the river towards the west."

"...Anything _else_?"

"...No, I think that's all."

The leader of the knights points dramatically to the south.

"No, _go_!"

With that said, the Knights Who Say Ni let Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell go. They walk until they are completely out of earshot of the knights, and as soon as they are, Ciel immediately says, "Sebastian, make a shrubbery and bring it to the knights."

"Under normal circumstances, I would do it without any hesitation, young master," Sebastian says. "However, in order for me to make a shrubbery, I would have to use my demotic powers. And if I use them while we are still in this forest protected by light magic, I will cease to be."

"…Are you telling me that just making a simple shrubbery will cause you to die?"

Sebastian sighs.

"Unfortunately, my lord."

Grell rolls his eyes.

"Boys, if you want a shrubbery, then just leave it to me! I get it done with no problem."

Sebastian and Ciel stare at Grell like he suddenly grew bright red wings.

"…_You_ can make a shrubbery?" Ciel questions in disbelief. "How will _you_ make a good quality shrubbery in the middle of an isolated forest?"

Grell crosses his arms defensively.

"By using my death scythe, which is actually a gardening tool. I'll just cut down a few trees and turn them into a shrubbery."

Ciel's eye twitches.

"There…there is _no_ way that would work. They would notice you cutting down the trees!"

"But what other option do we have?" Sebastian counters. "We don't have the time to get a shrubbery nor the ability to go buy one. And we need to get pass the knights."

He looks at Grell in the eye.

"And if it fails…just chop them all to bits with your death scythe. They may be the powerful Knights of Ni, but even they can't match a grim reaper's scythe."

Grell nods and smile.

"Right you are, Sebastian darling! Just leave it all to me…"

* * *

"Oh, Knights Who Say Ni, we have brought you your shrubbery," Ciel says an hour later as he, Sebastian, and Grell stand before the knights. "Are you satisfied with our results? May we go now?"

Grell smiles to himself as the leader studies the shrubbery he has made. It took the red shinigami all his heart and effort to make it, and he is proud of his work. After all, it cost him another witch trial, as those villagers from yesterday saw him cut down a tree and accused him of being a witch again.

_Not. _Fun_._

The leader of the Knights Who Say Ni narrows his eyes, seemingly to be deep in thought.

"Hmm…this is a good shrubbery," he finally says. "I like the design quite a bit and the shrubbery blends in greatly with the forest."

_That's because it _is_ from the forest, tee hee! _

"But there is one small problem…"

Grell frowns, Ciel's face pales, and Sebastian raises an eyebrow.

"What is the problem?"

"We are no longer the Knights Who Say Ni," the leader explains.

All the knights flinch at the mention of the word 'ni.'

"We are now the Knights Who Say Icky-Icky-Icky-Pong-Tang-Zing-Bang!"

_…What?_

There are no words to describe the reaction on Grell, Sebastian, and Ciel's faces.

"Therefore, because we have changed cults," the leader continues, "we have a different ritual that needs to be done."

"'_Another_ ritual?'" Sebastian says, trying his best to keep the anger out of his voice. "What more can you possibly want Knights Who…Until Now Said Ni?"

"Many things, demon," the leader replies in a complete serious tone. "First, we request that you get us another shrubbery to go with this one!"

"...Are you _kidding_ me?!" Ciel exclaims, clutching his fists tightly.

"No, we knights are always serious! Shrubberies are serious business!"

The whole cult nods in agreement.

"And when you have gotten the second shrubbery, and make sure the second shrubbery is slightly taller than the first one so they can have levels, with a little path running through them. And after that, you must cut down the largest tree in the forest with..."

He pauses for a long moment.

"...a herring!"

There are loud gasps as from the knights, the leader revealing a small herring from his armor. It smells like it has been dead for weeks, which makes Grell's stomach turn and twist inside of him. Ciel shakes with uncontrollable rage, however Sebastian is the only one who is able to keep his composure.

"I'm afraid that your requests have become far too ridiculous for us to complete," the demon says, the ends of his mouth twitching as he forces a smile. "Therefore we have to do things the hard way, for we _will_ get through this forest."

He turns to Grell.

"Grell, would you like the honor of collecting their long over do souls, since I cannot devour them at the moment?"

Grell blinks, surprised by Sebastian's request, as are the Knights Who Say Ni. But with much eagerness, Grell nods his head and prepares his death scythe. The Knights Who Say Ni flinch back while Sebastian and Ciel take a few steps back. Grell gives a bloodthirsty grin.

"And now to make you dull colored men fabulous, by dyeing you in the most beautiful color in the world! _Red_!"


	10. Ni!

With loud, maniacal, over-the-top laughter, Grell activates his death scythe and charges at the leader of the knights. The Knights Who Say Ni gasp dramatically, all screaming at the top of their lungs as they runaway from Grell's wrath.

"Ni!"

"Ni!"

"Ni!"

"Ni!"

"Ni!"

While Grell acts like a bloodthirsty lunatic, Sebastian and Ciel step away as far from the action as possible, but still have a good enough place to sit and watch the show. The leader of the knights swiftly dodges Grell's attacks aimed at him, furry appearing in his eyes.

"You will pay for starting a fight with the Knights Who Say Ni!" he shouts. "_Ni_!"

Grell laughs.

"Oh please, darling! Like you shouting that word is going to have any effect on me!"

He slices the leader in half. Sebastian covers Ciel's eyes from the gruesome sight, the knights all panicking at the scene. Grell smiles in satisfaction.

"Well, that was easy!" he exclaims. "Now, shall we move on, Seb-"

"_Ni_!"

Cutting Grell off, the Knights Who Say Ni all of a sudden start shouting the word 'ni' at the top of their lungs. As they say the word louder and with more intensity, a white light appears around the dead leader. Grell gasps and Sebastian's eyes widen. Ciel moves Sebastian's hand over his eyes.

"Sebastian, what is...?"

The earl's question is answered for him as the white light completely heals the leader of the knights. Like a zombie, the leader gets back on his feet and Grell flinches back, a look of shock and disturbance on his face.

"H-how..."

The leader of the knights smiles wickedly.

"...Ni!"

He moves closer to Grell.

"Ni! Ni! Ni!"

"_Ni_! _Ni_! _Ni_!"

His fellow knights follow him, all closing in on Grell. Grell's face turns pure white.

"Get away from me, you freaks!"

He screams like a little girl as one of the knights almost touches him. Grell then runs over to Sebastian and hides behind him, his legs shaking with fear.

"B-Bassy save me!"

Sebastian growls in annoyance.

"Shows how useful you are..."

"Sebastian, this isn't the time!" Ciel snaps.

He keeps his eyes on the knights, as they are slowly make their way towards them, continuing to screech the word ni. Powerless to do anything, and with the knights' chanting, the three of them eventually find themselves back to back against a tree, the Knights Who Say Ni having them completely cornered. Grell clutches onto Sebastian for dear life, Ciel and Sebastian glaring at the knights.

"...So, I believe this is the end, my young master," Sebastian says, though he sounds really nonchalant about it. "I'm afraid I cannot get us out of this one."

He sighs heavily.

"I have failed you as the butler of the Phantomhive family."

Ciel rolls his eyes.

"Save the drama. We will find a way out."

Sebastian blinks.

"How, young master? I cannot use my demotic powers, Grell is a complete coward, you are utterly useless, and their 'ni' chanting is just too much. I don't see how we can get out of this."

"We still have one thing they don't have," Ciel explains, a small smirk appearing on his face. "We still have the power of deus ex machina."

"He he he! Indeed you do, milord!"

Everyone freezes, the knights becoming silent. Everyone turns to see the Undertaker slowly walking up to them. Everyone's eyes widen at the sight of him, which makes the Undertaker's smile grow.

"The power of the deus ex machina can be a very powerful weapon," the shinigami says. "Especially if one knows how to use it."

"_Ahhhhhhhhh_!"

The Knights Who Say Ni suddenly start screaming, covering their ears and swaying like they have been possessed by a ghost. Ciel and Sebastian tense up at the knights' sudden spazzing out while Grell continues to stare at the Undertaker. Sebastian looks up at the Undertaker.

"What did you _do_?"

The Undertaker giggles.

"I just said the one word that the Knights Who Say Ni cannot hear. It is as simple as that."

The knights scream again.

"No! Anything but _this_!" the leader screams as he falls onto his knees. "_Don't say that word_!"

"What word?" Ciel asks. "How can we not say that word if you don't tell us what it is?"

The knights scream again, covering their ears as tightly as they can. Sebastian nods.

"I agree. We can't stop if we don't know what it is."

He looks up at the Undertaker, who just smiles.

"It is the truth."

The knights sob. "Please, stop saying the word!"

Ciel glares down at the leader.

"Oh, shut it! You are being ridiculous about it."

"_Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_!" the leader and his knights cry. "_Stop saying it_!"

He gasps.

"Oh God, I said _it_!"

He gasps again.

"I said _it again_!"

The Knights Who Say Ni lose it completely, screaming and running in random directions like they are on fire.

With the knights all in chaos, Ciel and Sebastian take this opportunity to escape, dragging Grell along with them. Following the Undertaker's lead, they quickly run towards the north. They run until they are sure they have completely lost the Knights Who Say Ni, where they eventually stop to rest. The Undertaker smiles.

"Looks like I got there just in time. If I were a second later, you would have been nied to death!"

He chuckles softly.

"And what an embarrassing way to go, it would!"

"...Whatever," Ciel replies, panting heavily after all that running.

He looks up at the Undertaker.

"Where were you anyway? How did you find us?"

"He he...let's just say that I got into a little..._duel_ with this amusing knight who lost his dignity a long time ago," the Undertaker explains, his smile twitching a bit. "I had heard him while I was keeping watch of the camp, and had to investigate it. And after I dealt with him...I got a bit lost trying to find the camp."

He grins while Ciel and Sebastian roll their eyes.

"Though finding you three again wasn't too hard, as I could hear you and the knights shouting from miles away," Undertaker continues, looking down at Ciel. "You are lucky that none of the other inhabitants of this forest heard you, for who knows what could have happened if they did!"

"...So there are _more_ of these idiots, besides those villagers and the knights?" Ciel asks.

"Yes and no," the Undertaker answers sincerely. "There are other guardians in the forest, but if my memory serves me correctly, we won't have to worry about them, as we are almost out of the forest."

"Is that so," Sebastian says, seemingly deep in thought. "And how can you be so certain?"

The Undertaker smiles and chuckles, though he avoids the question completely.

"Are you three ready to continue or are you still recovering from being...nied."

He starts to snicker, trying his best to contain his laughter. Ciel rubs his head.

"I will be glad once this is all over..."

He looks up at Sebastian.

"Are you and Grell ready to travel again?"

Sebastian nods.

"I am, my lord. And I'm sure Grell is too. Right, Grell?"

There is no response.

"...Grell?"

Sebastian, Ciel, and the Undertaker turn around to see that Grell is just standing in the back, a large blush on his face. He is staring straight at Undertaker, his eyes wide.

"...Your face..."

He is lost for words.

The Undertaker blinks, now realizing that he still has his bangs pulled back, revealing his surprisingly handsome face. He smiles.

"He he he, guess I forgot to put my hair back into place after the fight."

He laughs to himself. There is a moment of silence, Grell continuing to stare at Undertaker. Undertaker blinks.

"...What are you staring at?"

"...Nothing..."

Now getting a hold of himself, Grell quickly moves to the Undertaker's side and takes a hold of his arm.

"I'm ready to go after the grail now!"

He sighs happily as he rests his head on the Undertaker's shoulder. The Undertaker gives a puzzled look and Sebastian smirks.

"Congratulations, Undertaker. You officially have a fantransgender."

His smile grows.

"If I were you, I would start thinking about writing some restraining orders. You are going to need them."

Grell pouts a bit from Sebastian's comment while the Undertaker seems to be even more confused. Ciel rolls his eyes.

"Are you three done fooling around?"

Sebastian chuckles to himself.

"I'm sorry, young master. Let us continue."


	11. The Most Deadliest Monster in the World

After a few hours of walking, the four all finally find their way out of the forest. Ciel is in the front of the group, anxiety rising up within him as the clear fading sunlight hits his face.

Now that they are out of the forest, what sort of dangers will he be forced to face? With talk of this mysterious Bridge of Death, and the still unknown dreaded monster that keeps guard of the grail, what more is there to face? The Knights Who Say Ni were challenging enough, as well as insane, making it impossible for Ciel to picture anything worse.

"Are you doing alright, young master?" Sebastian suddenly asks as he walks next to Ciel, forcing the earl out of his thoughts. "We have been walking for a long time now."

Ciel growls.

"I'm fine, Sebastian. And I'll be even better once we find the holy grail."

He pauses for a slight second.

"...Are you wanting to stop so Grell will stop nagging you?"

A small smile appears on Sebastian's face.

"Actually, he's been clinging to the Undertaker ever since he showed is face. Grell has yet to bother me because of that, which I can say I'm grateful for."

Ciel nods, glancing behind to see that the Undertaker and Grell are slowly following them, Grell really slowing the Undertaker down as he tries to flirt with him.

"Young master, if you do feel the need to rest, we will," Sebastian says. "Don't feel like you need to push yourself too much."

Ciel keeps his eyes in front of him.

"There is no need to worry about me. Besides...I rather not let my guard down."

Sebastian blinks, but he slowly seems to get Ciel's meaning.

"I see...you feel the same as I do, then?" the demon asks.

"I know he knows more than what he's been letting on," Ciel explains, lowering his voice. "But whether or not he is misleading us or not, I cannot tell."

"If he is trying to put us endanger, he doesn't seem to act like it," Sebastian comments thoughtfully. "He _did_ save us from the knights, not to mentioned saved you and Grell from the witch trial, and then myself from the light magic. If he just simply wanted to get rid of us, he would, or could have, done so already."

His eyes darken.

"However, he could just be luring us to the real threat, the one that has prevented the holy grail from being found for centuries."

"Like the beast who guards it?" Ciel suggests.

"Or the Bridge of Death," Sebastian adds.

They both stay silent, a million questions going through their minds with little answers to give. Eventually, the group find themselves on unnatural rocky terrain, with large boulders scattered all over the place. In the distance, Ciel can see an underground cave starting to take form.

_That must be the cave where the holy grail is!_

"He he he! It appears we have finally reached the cave, milord."

Ciel and Sebastian stop and turn to face the Undertaker, in which Grell is still holding onto his arm. The Undertaker gives a crooked smile.

"Once you step inside that cave, your mind will be tested to its limits," he says. "The Knights Who Say Ni were just the beginning. At this point, you will either succeed or fail, just like all the others."

His smile grows.

"Can you handle the challenge, milord? Perhaps it may be better, for your health's sake, to turn back and forget this quest."

Ciel narrows his eyes.

"I will not turn back. I have come too far to even think about giving up."

The Undertaker laughs softly.

"Brave, indeed...but also foolish. A human like yourself could never dream of what awaits you."

"And a shinigami can?"

There is a small silence. A sinister look appears in the Undertaker's eyes.

"...A shinigami with much experience."

Grell gives a puzzled look. "What do you mean by that?"

Undertaker glances down at him.

"He he he, you are far too young to understand what I mean. Nor are you powerful enough to survive on your own."

He turns his gaze to Sebastian.

"Any of you."

Getting out of Grell's grip, the Undertaker walks past Sebastian and Ciel.

"Stick close and follow me. Wouldn't want one of you to get lost..."

The older grim reaper giggles softly. Ciel and Sebastian give each other suspicious looks, but say nothing out loud. Though Ciel knew they had to have their guard up, for going against each other now would ultimately do them harm.

_And if he is up to something, I want to keep him close so I can keep an eye on him._

With the Undertaker in the lead, Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell head inside the cave. The cave itself is very dark and closed in, human skeletons and bones scattered all over the place. The air in the cave is very cold and damp, Ciel able to feel the moister in the air as he breathes.

"Oh my God, is there _no_ light in this cave?!" Grell whines as he bumps blindly into Sebastian several times. "I'm going to trip over something and scratch up my face if I have to keep walking blindly!"

"Will you stop your complaining," Sebastian says with a heavy sigh. "We don't have a torch so there isn't much we can do."

Grell sobs. "But _Bassy_!"

Sebastian groans, making the Undertaker chuckle.

"There should be a torch we can use somewhere," he says smiling. "Many adventurers have made their way in here. Perhaps we can get a torch from one of the corpses."

No one makes a comment to that.

Soon, the group finds themselves entering a small room within the cave. Once they take their first step inside, it triggers the many torches attached to the walls to catch fire, illuminating the entire room. Grell cries out a tiny bit and hangs on tightly to Sebastian's arm. Ciel looks around the room.

"What caused the torches to light up?" he asks to no one in particular.

"Magic is my best guess," the Undertaker answers. "Like I said earlier, the _real_ fun has only just begun."

His smile grows as his eyes move towards the furthest wall.

"My, my! That looks _interesting_...he he he..."

He walks over to the wall and studies it, Sebastian, Grell, and Ciel coming to his side. Ciel looks up at the wall, seeing that it has been carved into, having a message. However, he does not recognize the language in which it has been written in. Grell brings himself closer to the wall.

"...Wow, did the guy who wrote this have _terrible_ handwriting," the red reaper says with critical tone. "I mean, look how it just drags down towards the end."

"Can any of you guys read it?" Ciel asks.

"I can," Sebastian replies.

He clears his throat.

"It says, 'He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the holy grail in the Castle of Aughhh...'"

There is a long moment of silence. The Undertaker's lips twitch, until he finally loses it, laughing so hard that he falls onto the floor. Ciel's eye twitches.

"...Sebastian, this isn't funny," the earl says in a low voice. "What _does_ it say?!"

"I told you, my lord," Sebastian replies calmly. "It really does say 'The Castle of Aughhh.'"

"Why would the person who wrote it say 'aughhh?'" Ciel demands, losing his patience. "I've heard no such castle call that!"

"Maybe he died while writing it?" Grell suggests.

"'_Died while writing it_!'"

The Undertaker laughs even harder, gasping desperately for air.

"I highly doubt that," Sebastian points out. "If whoever wrote was truly dying, they wouldn't bother to carve out 'aughhh.' They would just say it as they died horribly."

Grell crosses his arms. "Then _why_ else would it be there?"

Sebastian shrugs his shoulders. "...I don't know. Maybe he just felt like pulling a practical joke."

"In a place like this, where danger could be anywhere, you would take the time to pull out a prank?"

"Why not? Lots of humans have twisted senses of humor."

"...You have a point there, but still, it is kind of dumb."

Grell and Sebastian start to debate over the writing while the Undertaker continues to be in his laughing fit. Ciel face palms and steps away from the wall, not wanting to center himself anymore with such idiocy. He looks around the cave, trying to see where they need to go next. There are many other tunnels, and only God knows where they lead to.

_If only those three would stop fooling around!_

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Ciel sees some movement coming from one of the other tunnels. Ciel's eyes grow wide, staring down the tunnel as he knows something is making its way closer and closer to them.

"...Sebastian," Ciel says softly. "Sebastian, get yourself over here."

"Yes, my lord?"

Sebastian quickly moves to his master side, Grell also listening in. The Undertaker even stops his laughing to the serious tone in Ciel's voice. Without even needing to be told what is going on, Sebastian sees the shadow of a deformed monster being cast onto the wall. Sebastian moves Ciel behind him, signaling to both Undertaker and Grell to get their death scythes ready. Soon, the shadow becomes smaller and smaller, and the monster makes its way into the light. Grell's eyes widen.

"Is that...?"

He stops in mid question as the creature turns out to be a small, fluffy, adorable white rabbit. The four of them stare at the rabbit as the rabbit stares back.

"...Um, are we going to do something about the rabbit or what?" Grell finally asks.

"...I don't know," Sebastian answers. "Something doesn't feel right about this rabbit...I can sense evil from it."

Grell narrows his eyes.

"Are you kidding me? It's a freaken bunny!"

"Yes, but not all things are what they appear to be," the Undertaker says solemnly.

Ciel takes a step back. Grell rolls his eyes.

"Are you guys _really_ being cautious about a cute little bunny rabbit? That is sad!"

He activates his death scythe.

"One rabbit stew, coming up!"

Sebastian's eyes widen.

"_Grell, no_!"

But it is too late, for Grell has already started to attack. As he makes his move, the rabbit opens it mouth to reveal tiny sharp fangs. Squeaking, it leaps up at Grell and bites down at his shoulder. Shocked, Grell screams at the top of his lungs, the rabbit digging its fangs into his skin.

Ciel gasps and Sebastian quickly rushes to Grell's side to get the rabbit off of him. Blood pours out of Grell's shoulder, him hyperventilating from the shock. When Sebastian gets the rabbit off of Grell, the Undertaker comes up to it and quickly stabs it with his scythe. He stabs the rabbit in the heart, however, no blood or trace of a cinematic record comes out. In fact it does not even seem to be effected by it, as the rabbit squeaks and squirms until it gets itself out of the blade of the death scythe. The Undertaker's eyes widen and the rabbit leaps up to attack him. It aims its attack at the Undertaker's face, but he is able to block it with his death scythe, forcing the rabbit to fall back.

"The death scythes won't have any effect on it," the Undertaker says with nervous laughter. "Might I suggest that we run away now?"

"Agreed," Sebastian replies.

Quickly picking up Ciel, Sebastian, Undertaker, and a screaming Grell run out of the cave, the rabbit being close behind them. Once they reach the outside, Sebastian quickly gets Ciel to safety. The Undertaker fights off the rabbit the best he can to distract it. Grell, covering his wounded shoulder with his hand, cries in pain as he hides next to Sebastian.

"What are we going to do?" Ciel demands as he watches the fight scene between the Undertaker and the rabbit. "If that rabbit isn't affected by a death scythe, how are we going to kill it?"

"I don't know, my lord, but we will find a way," Sebastian says. "I just hope Undertaker can distract it long enough for us to come up with a plan."

He feels Grell hold on to him tightly and he glares down at him.

"Shouldn't you help fight?" Sebastian questions coldly.

Grell sobs.

"That bloody rabbit tried to kill me!" he exclaims, his voice cracking. "There is _no_ way I'm going down there!"

"Grell, that isn't even that bad of a wound," Sebastian says.

"_Yes it is_! Look at _all_ the blood! And it _hurts_!"

He shows him the wound, in which Sebastian just rolls his eyes.

"You chopped up all those women back when you were Jack the Ripper, and now just the sight of your own blood is making you squirm like a little girl? Pathetic."

At that moment, the Undertaker joins them, panting heavily as his clothes are now stained with blood. He smiles.

"There is no doubt about it, that rabbit is dynamite!" he says with small laughs. "And he is not showing any signs of surrendering..."

The rabbit glares at them from a distance, as if taunting them to come back and attack.

"So is there no way for us to kill it?" Ciel asks, his eyes never leaving the rabbit.

Is this really going to cause the end of their journey, just one seemingly murderous rabbit? How would the earl explain _that_ to the queen?

_My reputation is ruined... _

Undertaker chuckles softly.

"Not quite, milord. A normal death scythe doesn't seem to affect the devious little creature. But that doesn't mean that _nothing_ will work..."

From the many pockets in his robe, the Undertaker takes out a golden ball with a small cross on top of it. Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell give blank stares. The Undertaker smiles.

"Be hold, deus ex machina!"

He takes the cross out of the ball and throws it straight at the rabbit. Sebastian raises an eyebrow.

"What the-"

He is cut off as the moment the ball hits the ground, it explodes. Everyone quickly takes cover from the blast, and once the smoke clears, everyone looks to see that the rabbit is gone, most likely killed from the explosion. Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell all stare at the Undertaker in pure shock.

"...What..._what_ did you do?" Ciel questions.

The Undertaker smiles.

"He he he, I just used this experimental death scythe I've been working on. It has ten times the power of a normal death scythe and is very lethal. However...it explodes, so one cannot use it often."

"'Experimental death scythe?!'" Grell exclaims. "_How_ were you able to convince the higher officials to allow you to make experimental death scythes without their authority?!"

"That's a secret," the Undertaker replies, clearly amused. "Perhaps when you retire from service, I'll teach you a few tricks, he he he..."

Grell says nothing in reply, only staring at the Undertaker like his is crazy, or more crazy than he already is. There is an awkward moment of silence.

"...Well, whatever," Ciel finally says. "The rabbit is dead, so we can continue."

Sebastian nods in agreement.

"We shall do that, my lord."

The Undertaker smiles in reply while Grell frowns, tears forming in his eyes.

"But my shoulder still _hurts_! Can't we rest for just a little while? Please?!"

Ciel rolls his eyes, sighing at the red shinigami's pathetic state.

"Fine, but make it quick."

He looks back upon the cave. Ciel narrows his eyes, wondering to himself what other forms of madness awaits them.

_For what could be worse than killer rabbits?_


	12. Crossing the Bridge

During the long hours of the night, Sebastian stands watch over the camp as Ciel, Grell, and Undertaker sleep. With Grell's never ending whining about his shoulder, the group thought it would be for the best if they stayed the night in the cave, since it was the best shelter they had seen throughout the entire journey.

And...because the others were so exhausted.

Sebastian has clearly seen it, from Grell whining, to the Undertaker being less energetic, to Ciel even not disregarding the idea of resting another night. Sebastian volunteered to take the first watch, since his now fully healed demon body did not require the rest that the others need.

Sebastian lets out a heavy sigh, clearly bored out of his mind. He glances over at Ciel sleeping peacefully next to him, bring Sebastian's black coat closer to him to keep himself warm. Grell, snoring loudly, lays in an awkward position on the floor with his death scythe clutched tightly in his arms. The Undertaker sleeps deathly still on his back, probably out of habit from sleeping in coffins for years, not making a sound. Sebastian keeps his eyes on the Undertaker, noticing that at certain times he mumbles in his sleep. He can't quite tell what he is saying, but from the sound of his voice, the Undertaker is having a bad dream. Sebastian can't help but take note of it, after all, the Undertaker has been almost the sole reason that he and his master have gotten this far.

_T__he end is almost here..._

Sebastian sits back a bit. His thoughts drift as he wonders what to expect once they find the holy grail. What sort of 'challenges,' as the Undertaker mentioned earlier, would they face? Moreover, if they were to make a single mistake, how deadly would the consequences be? And though they are big questions that need to be answered, and fast, Sebastian can't help but feel that those aren't the biggest questions.

_What is the force that ultimately caused all of this? Who is the being responsible for setting the time stopping spell, and brought the immortal Knights Who Say Ni and the demotic killer rabbit to guard the grail? And _why_ go this far as to protect such simple item, holy or not?_

Sebastian feels his head hurt a little with all the questions. But he fears that not knowing the answer will bring great disaster towards them, to his master. Sebastian moves his gaze from Ciel, to Grell, to the Undertaker.

In the back of his mind, a part of him believes that none of them could be fully prepared for what truly awaits them.

* * *

"...Oh my God, _how_ big is this stupid cave?!" Grell shouts as he, Sebastian, Ciel, and Undertaker wander inside the cave. "Oh great! Another room for us to..."

He cuts himself off, for his eyes widen to see that they have stepped into a large underground chamber, so big that it is hard to believe that they are still in a cave. The chamber is so large that they cannot see the walls or roof, faint sources of unknown light illuminating the room for them to see without a torch. In the distance, they can see a large castle, a thick fog covering the path towards it. And down a long rocky path, there is an old bridge, rocking back and forth over a large, deep canyon. The Undertaker smiles.

"He he he. There it is, the Bridge of Death. The last big test before we reach the Castle of Aughhh."

Ciel rolls his eyes.

"Are we _really_ going to call the castle that?"

"What else are we going to call it?" Grell questions. "The Castle of _Death_?"

He does a pose while saying the word 'death,' making the Undertaker snicker. Ciel gives annoyed look, which causes the Undertaker's grin to grow even more. Meanwhile, Sebastian studies the distant Bridge of Death.

"I can't sense or see any dangers about the bridge, besides the fact it is unstable as hell," he announces. "Though, I do sense…someone down by the bridge."

He pauses.

"However, I cannot tell what it is. Its scent…"

Grell's face pales.

"Does this mean we have face another killer bunny? I'm _barely_ recovering from the last one!"

"He he he! No, we would not be facing another monster like that," the Undertaker replies. "In fact, we won't be tested by our battle skills at all."

They give him a puzzled look.

"What do you mean by that?" Ciel asks.

"The Bridge of Death tests you on your mental capacity rather than your physical abilities," the Undertaker explains with a smile. "You will just have to answer three questions, and if you get them right, you will be able to pass. If not, you die."

Grell's eyes widen in fear, while Sebastian and Ciel give emotionless looks.

"…Is that all?" Sebastian asks.

Undertaker nods.

"It is."

There is a long silence.

"…I suggest that Grell is the first one to go," Sebastian finally says. "After all, he has a thing for death and all."

Grell tenses up, everyone now staring at him.

"Uh…hey, I've got a great idea!" Grell announces with a sheepish smile. "Why doesn't Undertaker go?"

"Because he is actually useful when it comes to this quest, unlike you," Ciel answers coldly. "In fact, what have you done this entire time besides almost getting yourself killed?"

Grell's face lights up with anger.

"For you information, _I_ was the one who got us to that hidden forest in the first place!" he yells offended. "And _I_ was the one who made that shrubbery to get pass the knights!"

"Yes, but that only goes so far," Sebastian replies. "Besides, you are the most expendable out of the four us. No one would care if you die or not."

Ciel nods in agreement. Grell stares at Sebastian in total shock.

"…That is _cold_ Bassy! The most heartless thing I've heard in my entire immortal life…"

He lets out a dreamy sigh.

"And that is _so_ a turn on for me!"

Sebastian gives a disgusted look, making the Undertaker laugh.

"_He he he_! That _never_ gets old! He he he!"

He quickly regains his composure.

"But if the little red shinigami is so frightened, perhaps she will feel safer next to her handsome black knight. And I am more than willing to go first."

"_Yes_!"

Grell quickly moves to Sebastian's side and takes a hold of his arm while Sebastian gives the Undertaker the death glare. Ciel takes in a deep breath of air, though the edges of his mouth twitch, suggesting that he is trying hard not to laugh.

They then all go down towards the Bridge of Death, where they see that the old man from their first campout is standing in front of the bridge's entrance. Sebastian, Grell, and Undertaker's eyes widen while Ciel shows no reaction. The old man makes eye contact with each of them.

"Those who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he seeks," the old man says with a crooked smile. "One at a time, approach me, the mighty wizard Tim, and see if he is worthy to cross."

Ciel clutches his fists tightly, while Grell tightens his grip on Sebastian's arm. Sebastian narrows his eyes while the Undertaker gives an emotionless expression. Slowly, Undertaker is the first to step up to Tim. Tim smiles.

"What is your name?" he asks.

"Undertaker, since no one bothers to call me anything but that," Undertaker answers bluntly. "In fact, I can't even recall the last time someone even called me by my real name!"

He chuckles a bit to himself, making Ciel and Sebastian roll their eyes.

"Wait…he has a name other than 'Undertaker?!'" Grell exclaims, shocked.

Everyone ignores his comment as Tim continues to ask the next question.

"What is you quest?"

"As of right now...I seek the holy grail," Undertaker answers, tipping his head to the side with a large grin.

Tim grins back, almost like he is trying to out-grin the Undertaker.

"What is your favorite color?"

"Black."

Tim smiles.

"Alright then! Off you go!"

"…Okay."

Undertaker then walks across the bridge without harm, his figure vanishing has he enters through the fog. Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell watch in total amazement.

"…_That's_ _easy_!" Grell exclaims.

He quickly goes up to Tim.

"Ask a way, old man!" he says, tapping his foot impatiently while crossing his arms. "I'm ready to go."

Tim chuckles softly, giving an amused look.

"Very well. What is your name?"

"Grell Sutcliff, the fabulous," Grell answers in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"What is your quest?"

"To have a threesome with Bassy and Will."

Sebastian looks like he is about to puke.

"...You did _not_ just say that."

Grell smiles in reply, batting his eyelashes at Sebastian. But before Sebastian could strangle the red grim reaper, Tim asks his final question.

"What...is the ending to One Piece?"

Grell stares at the wizard, a blank look on his face.

"...'One Piece?' What is a 'One Piece?'" he asks, clearly clueless.

"It is an anime," Tim answers sincerely.

Grell remains confused.

"What is an anime?"

"An animated show from Japan."

"...What is Japan?"

Ciel face palms and Sebastian lets out a heavy sigh.

"So do you not know the answer?" Tim asks, a hint of eagerness in his voice.

"Uh..."

Grell takes awhile to respond. Tim smiles malevolently.

"If you cannot answer, then you shall die!"

The old wizard points dramatically at Grell, muttering some words in a foreign language. Grell tenses up, Sebastian and Ciel taking a step back, as they expect something horrible to happen.

But...nothing happens.

They all just stand there like idiots, an awkward silence surrounding them. Grell relaxes a bit, his eyes moving from side to side.

"Uh...oh no! I am dying!" he suddenly cries out all over-the-top like. "Oh the _horror_! Oh, the handsome men I have yet to meet! A girl like me is too beautiful to die...!"

While making a large performance out of it, Grell dramatically makes his way across the bridge, disappearing into the fog just like Undertaker. Tim starts giggling like a maniac as Ciel approaches. Tim grins.

"What is your name, child?"

"I am Ciel Phantomhive, Watchdog of the Queen," Ciel answers proudly.

"What is your quest?"

"I seek the holy grail, in the name of the queen."

"What...is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

There is a short silence, Ciel giving an inquisitive look.

"What do you mean?" he questions. "Are you talking about an African or a European swallow?"

"Uh...I don't know."

Tim suddenly gasps, his eyes wide.

"Oh God, I don't know the answer!" he shouts at the top of his lungs. "_I don't know the answer_!"

He begins to panic, holding onto his head tightly as he runs in all directions. He runs close to the edge of the canyon, where Tim eventually looses his footing and falls off the ledge. He screams, Ciel and Sebastian watching as he falls to his death. Sebastian looks down at Ciel.

"How do you know so much about swallow?" he questions while raising an eyebrow. "I cannot ever recall you ever having to study about them from your lessons."

Ciel causally shrugs his shoulders.

"Well, when your earl and the queen's watchdog, you just have to know these things."

He moves his gaze towards the Bridge of Death.

"With him dead, we should be able to cross safely. Come, Sebastian."

Nodding in reply, Sebastian and Ciel cross the Bridge of Death. Ciel quicken his pace, going slightly ahead of Sebastian. As he passes through the fog, the young earl feels the air around him become chiller, at first being a subtle change, but then slowly becoming more and more noticeable. Ciel also finds that the air is becoming slightly harder to breath, making him cough up for air. He feels more sluggish as well, like time is slowly coming to a stop.

_What is going on? Why do I feel so strange all of a sudden?_

After what seems like forever, Ciel reaches the other side of the bridge, where the fog is the thickest, so thick that he can't even see three feet in front of him.

"...Undertaker, Grell! Are you here?" Ciel calls out.

He gets no response. Ciel growls.

"Undertaker, this isn't a joke! Tell me where you are this instant!"

There is a long silence. Ciel clutches his fists.

"Grell, you _better _not be slacking off! We are far too close to the grail to stop now. _Grell_!"

No verbal response comes. Ciel puts his arms around himself, shivering from the cold.

"...Sebastian, I can't seem to find Grell or the Undertaker," he says. "Can you sense them anywhere?"

A long moment of silence passes. With his eyes becoming wide, Ciel slowly turns around.

Sebastian is nowhere to be seen.


	13. The Castle of Aughhh

With only an eerie fog to keep him company, Ciel slowly walks down the dirt path towards the Castle of Aughhh. Or at least he hopes that he is, for he can't see a bloody thing in this fog.

Like when crossing the Bridge of Death, the fog still has its same effects on him. The fog, he has no doubt, has some sort of magic to it, and is most likely the reason why he can't reach the others. Ciel shivers a bit, trying his best to keep himself focus on what is in front of him. Whatever happened to the others, he can't worry about that. Sebastian and Undertaker can take care of themselves, and Grell will most likely find some way to survive. They will be alright, and they will eventually find their way back to him.

_After all, Sebastian and I still have the contract. If I get into any trouble, he will be there_.

As he continues to wander, while keeping himself calm at the same time, Ciel faintly begins to hear soft whispers. They are too faint for him to understand them, but he knows that they are there. Are these the voices of those who have tried to reach the grail in the past and have failed? Are they trying to warn him? Many questions go through Ciel's mind.

Eventually, after walking for God knows how long, Ciel can finally see the silhouette of the castle start to take form. He quickens his pace, the voices he hears becoming slightly louder and louder. He speed-walks to the front door, in which he tries to open it. But to his dismay, it is locked. Ciel curses.

_Now what will I do?!_

"...Sebastian!" Ciel calls out, in vain hope that his butler will somehow hear him. "Sebastian, I command you to break down this door!"

A minute passes.

_Damn it!_

Frustrated, the young earl slams his fist against the door. Almost immediately afterwards, Ciel can hear the door unlocking itself from the inside. Taking a step back, the door slowly begins to open. Ciel's eyes widen, preparing himself for any type of assault or trap. But no one reveals themselves, seeming like the castle is just waiting for Ciel to come in. Ciel lets a moment pass, before he finally makes his way inside.

The Castle of Aughhh is anything but what he expects, the entrance hall being complex with various of architect designs. From medieval to nineteenth century designs on the walls and staircase, elegant portraits of various people throughout history are on the walls, all of them looking down at him. The door shuts itself behind him, making Ciel jump a bit. He stands where he is, taking in a moment to study the dark room. Again, nothing unusual happens, which is starting to piss Ciel off. At least have something attack him already so he doesn't feel so paranoid!

Ciel takes a few more steps further into the room, his eyes moving from place to place.

_Now...where would the grail be kept?_

"Ha ha ha! _Vous êtes venus très loin, des jeunes Anglais. De mauvais que ce sera votre malheur_."

Ciel freezes in place. He looks up the staircase to see a man standing there. He is a tall man wearing medieval dark blue armor, his long light brown mustache sticking up awkwardly on his lip as his shinigami like green eyes stare down at Ciel. Both the mysterious man and Ciel make eye contact, and an amused smile appears on the man's face. Slowly, he walks down the stairs. Ciel narrows his eyes.

"Who are you?" he demands. "Are you another guardian of the holy grail?"

The man laughs.

"_Oui, monsieur_. Well...sort of."

Ciel blinks.

"...Sort of? How can you 'sort of' guard the holy grail?"

"Well...I never really had a choice, or the motivation to, to be honest," the man explains. "I mean, all I did was invade this castle, taunt the Englishmen here, and then suddenly, _poof_! I am forever stuck in this cursed place because some hot woman thought I needed to be. Or something like that, I wasn't really paying attention to her words. I was too busy staring at her chest, because it was like..."

The man continues to ramble on, making Ciel groan inside.

"So...who are you?" he finally asks, in hopes to change the subject.

The 'mysterious' man stops his rambling, giving a slightly perverted smile at Ciel.

"I am a man known by many things. But for you...you may call me the Frenchman."

"...Your French?"

The Frenchman narrows his eyes.

"Of course I am French! Can you not tell by my outrageous sexy accent?!"

"...Do I _really_ have to answer that?"

There is a short silence, the obnoxious Frenchman glaring at Ciel. Ciel keeps his eyes on of him, slowly making his way towards the front door in case things got too violent.

This guy...it is like he is Grell's long lost brother. Only straight.

"...Are you a grim reaper?" Ciel finally questions, hoping to get some answers. "You have the eyes of one."

The Frenchman blinks.

"A grim reaper?"

He laughs mockingly.

"Aw, an English child like you still believes in fairytales! That is so cute!"

Ciel's eye twitches.

"...Can you please be quiet and just take me to where the grail is?"

The Frenchman is silent for a moment.

"Err...I technically _could_," he says, "but I don't think I will."

Ciel clutches his fists. "And why not?"

"Because you are English, and I don't like Englishmen. Your kind is all stupid."

He starts to go back up the stairs. Ciel runs up to him.

"Just because I'm English does not mean you cannot prevent me from seeking the grail!" he shouts. "I have come too far and faced so much to back down now!"

The Frenchman glances down at him.

"Oh? Like what?"

It takes awhile for Ciel to reply.

"...Just a lot. The point is that I won't leave until you give me what I want."

He smirks.

"For us children can be a real pain if we don't get what we want."

The Frenchman smirks back.

"You said it. With you Englishmen always whining and backstabbing to get what you want."

Ciel narrows his eyes, making the Frenchman's smile grow.

"And speaking of which, a little boy like you shouldn't be out here. Go home and cry to your mummy and daddy on how your quest was a failure."

Ciel gives off a small growl, but the Frenchman ignores it completely.

"You silly English pansies! With your tea, your kings and queens, your tea and crumpets, your stupid accents, your tea..._and_ your tea!"

He laughs.

"And your food is disgusting too! So poor on quality, unlike our French cuisine! And what is with you Englishmen drinking tea all the time? Is that all you can consume, tea and crap? Would you all die if there was suddenly no tea left in the world?"

"Shut up," Ciel says in a low voice. "I'll have you know that you French have your flaws too. Like you always have your arrogance get the best of you."

The Frenchman lets out a loud gasp.

"How _dare_ you, you little brat!" he exclaims offended. "I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"

He sticks his tongue out at Ciel.

"Now go away before I _really_ get mad, and taunt you for a second time!"

There is a long silence, Ciel unwilling to step down. The Frenchman stomps his foot on the ground.

"Very well...now you leave me no choice. I shall have to fight you like how all French fight their battles."

He then runs further up the stairs and goes deeper into the castle. Now finally getting rid of him, Ciel takes this opportunity to go deeper into the castle himself. He runs to the second floor and goes into one of the bedrooms. He plans out that if he stays hidden till things get quiet, he can take down the Frenchman by surprise and force him to tell him where the grail is.

_It will be extremely difficult without Sebastian, but I will not be outsmarted by an idiotic Frenchman!_

As Ciel locks himself inside the room, he can hear the Frenchman curse. He mumbles to himself in French, and Ciel has no doubt that he will start looking for him. He hears his voice fade away, making Ciel sighs with relief. He then slides down and sits against the door, impatiently waiting for things to calm down.


	14. I'll Face Myself

Ciel lazily blinks his eyes open as the fog outside the window becomes darker and darker from the fading sunlight. He has been waiting in the room like this for at least a few good hours, and even with all that time passing, he can still hear that idiotic Frenchman searching the castle for him. Cursing and causing loud stomping noises, it sounds like he will never tire. Ciel rests his chin on his knees, trying desperately to stay awake. It seems like the longer he waits, the more tired he gets. Something…something about this room is making him drowsy, something in the air. Is it because of the fog from earlier that he feels this way?

_Damn fog…damn castle…damn Frenchman…_

With the noise the Frenchman is making outside, Ciel eventually blocks it all out and closes his eyes, slowing down his breathing.

_"…Ciel!"_

At the sound of his name, Ciel immediately opens his eyes. He gasps, seeing now that the room is completely pitch black. Chilling fog surrounds him, making his body feel extremely cold.

_"Ciel, Ciel!"_

Someone is calling his name. Ciel stands up, quickly unlocking the door and rushing out of the room. But to his dismay, the hallway and the rest of the castle are just like the bedroom, dark and full of fog.

_"Ciel!"_

Slowly turning towards the sound of the voice, Ciel sees a shadowy figure in the distance. He cannot make much detail of the figure, but he can clearly see its glowing blue eyes.

One of them having a demon's contract carved into it.

Ciel's eyes widen and the figure smiles.

_"Ciel, come and find me! We need to find the holy grail!"_

It turns around and disappears down the hallway.

"…Hey, wait!"

Ciel runs after it, his mind going in circles has he tries to make sense as to what's going on. How did the fog get here, who is this figure calling him, what happened to the Frenchman?

_Am I being led into some kind of trap?_

Slowing his pace down, Ciel realizes that he has made it to the end of the hallway. It leads into a large room, the fog being the thickest inside it.

_"Come on, Ciel!"_

The dark figure stands in the middle of the room, waving for Ciel to come in. Ciel narrows his eyes.

"I won't come any closer until you tell me who you are!" he demands.

The figure tips its head to the side, a puzzled look in its eyes.

_"Why would I need to tell you?"_ it asks innocently. _"You should know who I am."_

"Is that so?" Ciel replies. "And how should I know you?"

_"Because I am you."_

Ciel's eyes widen.

"W-what?! You can't possibly be me!"

But as soon as he says that, Ciel begins to see the dark figure in more detail, and to his utter shock, the figure turns out to look _just_ like him. Same face, same clothes, same hair, same eyes, even its voice is beginning to sound like his own. The only difference between the real Ciel and the other Ciel is the fact the other Ciel is not wearing an eye patch to hide the contract, having the demon's mark being shown in plain view. The other Ciel smiles.

_"From the shocked look on your face, I assume that you can now see me in clear view. Perhaps you are now opening your eyes to what truly lies in the fog."_

Ciel's face becomes pale.

"'Truly lies?'"

The other Ciel nods.

_"Yes. This fog, you can say, is an illusion of your mind. It is there because you want it to be there, because you can't face, or don't want to face, the truth."_

_'Is there because I want it to be there?' That doesn't make any sense!_

It takes all of Ciel's self-control not to shout that aloud. He knows that if he loses his cool, he will not survive. He can tell that this, whatever the other Ciel is, is some kind of mental test.

_Is this why so many people have failed to reach the grail, because they had to face something that they could not fight with a sword?_

Ciel takes a deep breath of air.

"So if this fog is from my mind," he finally says, "then that must mean that you are from my mind as well?"

The other Ciel smiles.

_"You are from my mind as I am from yours. We are one in the same."_

There is a small pause.

"...I see," Ciel says, though he sounds unconvinced. "But earlier, you said that we need to find the holy grail, and you ran in this direction. Do you know where the grail is?"

The other Ciel nods enthusiastically.

_"I do."_

"Can you take me to it?"

_"No."_

Ciel growls softly.

"Then are you here to test me or give me a hint?"

The other Ciel says nothing in reply, making Ciel suspect that the answer to his question is a yes.

_But _what_ exactly is he testing me for?_

He becomes deep in thought for a long moment, thinking of other questions to ask his 'other self.'

"...Do you know where the others are?" Ciel suddenly asks. "We lost them when we crossed the Bridge of Death, when we first entered the fog. Are they here in the castle too?"

The other Ciel gives a blank stare.

_"Others? What 'others?'"_

"Sebastian, Undertaker, and Grell."

The other Ciel takes a moment to think.

_"'...Sebastian, Undertaker, and Grell...' Nope. I've never heard of these people."_

"How can you not have heard of them?" Ciel questions. "If you are me, then you should know who they are!"

_"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of those names until now,"_ the other Ciel replies.

Ciel clutches his fists.

"Then you must be lying," he says in a low voice. "Because if you were me, you wouldn't forget the name of our butler, the crazy old man who we pay for information, or the transvestite that murdered our aunt!"

There is a short silence.

_"...You poor child,"_ the other Ciel finally comments, his voice full of sympathy. _"You have been through so much that you are trying to make yourself believe in people who don't exist."_

He lets out a soft sigh.

_"Come, why don't I take you back to the bedroom and let you rest for a bit."_

He smiles, a malevolent look appearing in his eyes.

_"Maybe once you have a goodnight's sleep, you will be ready to go searching for the grail again. A nice, long, never ending slumber."_

He starts to make his way towards him. Ciel's eyes widen.

"Don't you dare come any closer!"

With the fog becoming thicker and thicker, Ciel runs past his other self and dashes towards the other side of the room. The other Ciel turns to face him, his eyes wide with shock.

_"No, Ciel, come back!"_

But Ciel does not listen to him, for he knows that the moment he lets that thing get him, he will die.

_ I have to get out of here! I have to find Sebastian! _

At the other side of the room, there is a closed door. Ciel swiftly grabs a hold of it and tries to open it, but it is lock.

"_No_!"

Ciel uses all of his strength to push, pull, and even break down the door, but nothing works. And while he does this, he can hear the footsteps of his other self coming closer and closer and closer. Fear clutches onto Ciel's heart, as small, terrified tears come down his eyes.

"Help, somebody help me!" he shouts pleadingly. "Sebastian, Undertaker, Grell..._anyone_!"

"..._What is your name?"_

Ciel freezes his place as he hears an unknown voice.

"...W-what?"

_"What is your name?"_

The voice repeats itself. Ciel looks up at the door, trying to figure out where the voice is coming from.

"...My name is Ciel Phantomhive," he answers.

_"What is your quest?"_

"I seek the holy grail!"

_"What is your favorite color?"_

"_Blue_!"

Laughter fills the room as the door opens itself before Ciel. A bright white light comes from the door, consuming everything in its path. Ciel covers his eyes, feeling a new warmth as he hears his other self scream. But with the new light, he starts to feel light-headed.

_"...You...ter!"_

He starts to hear a faint voice.

_"...Young...master...wake...up...!"_


	15. An Unexpected Conclusion

"Young master, wake up," Sebastian says as he shakes Ciel's seemingly lifeless body. "Young master!"

Ciel slowly opens his eyes. His eyes widen at the sight of a worried Sebastian, noticing that he is still in the bedroom, only with no fog.

"…Sebastian?" Ciel asks, sounding surprisingly weak. "_Where_ have you been?"

Sebastian's face slowly relaxes with relief.

"Glad to see that you still have that fighting spirit of yours, my lord."

Ciel raises an eyebrow. "What are you-"

"Ah, the brat is finally awake?"

Ciel glances over Sebastian's shoulder to see Grell looking down at him. The red shinigami sighs.

"About time you woke up. Seriously, you had us all worried...and by 'us,' I mean mostly Bassy."

Sebastian narrows his eyes.

"Hold your tongue, Grell. It wasn't too long ago you were like this."

Grell rolls his eyes.

"Darling, _please_! Like you weren't in the same boat as well. I mean, didn't the fog effect all of us?"

"What are you rambling about?"

Both Sebastian and Grell turn their attention to Ciel.

"So I am correct when I say that the fog was supernatural and caused us to separate?" the young earl asks for clarification.

Sebastian nods his head.

"In a way. Somehow, the fog prevented us from coming in contact with one another and slowly drained out our energy, eventually making us so weak our bodies would finally stopped functioning."

"Though I hate to admit it, it probably would have worked if it hadn't been for Undertaker," Grell adds. "He seemed to have a high resistance to the fog and was able to get us to snap out of it."

Ciel gives a puzzled look.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The fog is meant to slowly kill us by slowly dissolving our will to live," Sebastian explains, "and the only way to fight against it is to have the will to fight back. And a _strong_ one, to the point where it could not affect you at all."

"So Undertaker was able to fight it off, and eventually find you two?" Ciel asks.

"Bingo," Grell answers. "It didn't take long for me to fight back by looking at that handsome face of his...along with Bassy's..."

A dreamy look appears in Grell's eyes, making Sebastian grown. Now having his energy back from his near death experience, Ciel gets up on his feet.

"So where is Undertaker?" he asks, stretching his stiff limbs.

A small smile appears on Sebastian's face.

"I believe he is interrogating that Frenchman who has been guarding the castle. Do you wish me to take you to them, my lord?"

Ciel nods.

"Yes. I still have a score to settle with him."

With Ciel fully recovered, he, Sebastian, and Grell leave the room and head down the stairs to the first floor. Sebastian then leads them towards the hallway left of the entrance hall and walks down it until they come upon a large sitting room. There, the Frenchman that was taunting Ciel earlier is tied down to a chair with the Undertaker circling him. Undertaker gives a twisted smile, clearly enjoying himself as the Frenchman looks as pale as a ghost.

"_Arrêtez-vous, horrible anglais réducteur gamme rampante!_"he cries with a sob. "_Please_ stop! I promise I didn't mean it when called your mother a hamster..."

Undertaker chuckles.

"Your taunts mean nothing to me, Frenchman. In fact, they just make me laugh."

He grins.

"_But_ as amusing as you are, I'm afraid I can't let you go until you tell me where the holy grail is. So..."

He pokes the Frenchman with his long, black painted finger nail. The Frenchman flinches at his touch, crying out and muttering prayers in French. Ciel smiles at the scene.

"Nice work, Undertaker," he says. "For once, your abnormal personality has provided to be useful."

Both Undertaker and the Frenchman look up to see Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell. Undertaker smiles.

"Nice to see you out of the fog's spell, milord. I was getting worried that it would have been too much for you. It would be a shame if I were to lose my most hilarious client."

He moves away from his French victim and sits down in one of the other chairs.

"I assume you want to take it from here, don't you, milord?" Undertaker asks.

Ciel nods.

"I do. Thank you, Undertaker."

Motioning to Sebastian, he and Ciel face the Frenchman. The Frenchman's eyes widen at the sight of Ciel, cold sweat coming down his face. Ciel looks deeply into his eyes, as if making sure the Frenchman knows that he is totally at Ciel's mercy.

"Well now...it seems that the tables have turned, Frenchman," Ciel says in a low voice. "Are you now willing to tell me where the holy grail is or will you need _more_ persuasion?"

At that, Sebastian cracks his knuckles. The Frenchman flinches and quickly turns his terrified gaze to Ciel.

"Eek! Don't hurt me, you _diable enfant_!" he cries. "I will tell you where it is! Just don't kill me!"

Ciel gives a cold-hearted smile.

"It seems that you do have some sense in you after all."

He signals Sebastian to take a step back, in which Ciel leans closer to the Frenchman where they met eye to eye.

"Now...where is the holy grail?" Ciel asks softly.

The Frenchman stares deeply into his one seen eye.

"...Go to the castle's dungeon and press in the one golden brick that will reveal a secret passageway," he confesses. "After going through a dark tunnel, you will come to the chamber in which the holy grail lies."

There is a short silence, as if Ciel expects the Frenchman to continue. But he says nothing, only shivering in fear, blinking his eyes very fast.

"...Is that it?" Ciel finally says. "No traps or tests? No more guardians?"

The Frenchman nods his head.

"_Oui._ Though there is one thing that I should mention..."

Ciel raises an eyebrow, Sebastian, Grell, and Undertaker's eyes lighting up with interest. The Frenchman takes in a deep breath of air.

"I...have never actually _seen_ the grail before, despite the fact that I guard it," he confesses. "When the hot lady cursed me, she specifically said that if I go down to the chamber where the grail is, I would suffer a terrible punishment. So with my French nature, I've stayed away and I have no idea what is down there. If you go there, you may end up going to your grave."

He gives a sheepish smile.

"...So can I go now?"

Ciel glares at the Frenchman for a second. Letting out a small sigh, he orders Sebastian to let him go. Sebastian releases him from the chair, and immediately, the Frenchman rushes out of the room. He almost knocks Grell over as he does, causing Grell to loose his balance for a second.

"The nerve of him pushing a lady like that!" he cries as the Frenchman runs away. "Honestly, that was _so_ rude!"

Undertaker chuckles.

"He he he! You scared him good, milord. I am impressed how menacing a child like you can be at times."

Ciel makes no comment in reply, only staring into space. Sebastian gives a puzzled look.

"...Is there something wrong, young master?"

It takes awhile for Ciel to reply.

"...I'm fine. Come, let's go down to the dungeon and finally end this quest."

With that said, the group leaves the sitting room and go find their way to the dungeon. Since the Frenchman didn't bother to tell them where it is, and the fact they could not find him again, it takes a good thirty minutes for them to find the entrance.

The door that leads down to the dungeon is deep within the castle, the door being made of a darker, older wood than any of the other doors. Unlike the rest of the castle, this door is locked, and it does not seem to have a key hole to unlock it. Luckily, Grell's death scythe is able to cut through it no problem, and immediately, a cold, dark air makes its way pass them. Ciel shivers a bit.

They all go down the dark, stone stairway, Undertaker taking the lead since Sebastian is being held back by a terrified Grell. It takes awhile to go through, and the farther they go down the less light there is. Eventually, it gets to the point to where they cannot even see their own feet.

"I'll go further ahead and see if I can find a torch or something," Undertaker says. "Stay here until I say otherwise."

"Alright," Ciel replies. "Just don't start playing around with whatever is down there."

The Undertaker chuckles softly in reply.

"I'll try to control myself. He he he..."

He then slowly continues his way down. As his footsteps slowly become faint, Ciel begins to hear Grell's breathing becoming thicker.

"...You don't think there is anything down there, do you, Sebastian darling?" Grell asks, his voice becoming higher in pitch.

"I don't think it is the dungeon we should be concern about," Sebastian replies. "After all, we have no idea what awaits us in the chamber where the grail is supposedly resting."

That does not seem to help calm Grell's nerves, for he moves even closer to Sebastian. A long moment passes, and the Undertaker has yet to report back. Ciel feels his patience starting to wither away, and knows that they need to get moving again soon. Otherwise Grell will lose it.

"Sebastian, go see what the Undertaker is doing and find some kind of light," Ciel orders.

"Yes, my lord."

The demon gets himself free from Grell and swiftly makes his way down the stairs.

"Wait, don't leave me!" Grell cries.

He begins to sob when Sebastian gives no response, making Ciel roll his eyes.

Another few minutes pass, when suddenly, a bright light can be seen coming down the stairs. Ciel and Grell quickly go down, where they see the large dungeon filled with many old, medieval torture devices and human bones littering the entire floor. Torches are lit up all around the room, Sebastian standing in the middle of the room, while Undertaker gleefully studies the torture devices and skeletons. Sebastian smiles.

"All done, my lord."

He gestures towards the back of the room.

"The golden brick is right there and in position. Shall we proceed?"

"Yes, Sebastian," Ciel answers.

He sighs heavily.

"Are you _done_, Undertaker? We need to get moving."

There is no reply, Undertaker too busy examining everything and taking notes to himself. Ciel growns and Sebastian smiles.

"Really, did you expect anything different?"

He turns to Grell.

"Grell, go fetch him while the young master and I get the secret door open."

Grell's eyes widen.

"What?! Why _me_?"

"Because I need to accompany the young master," Sebastian answers.

Grell frowns.

"But its creepy over there..."

"Exactly, so go."

"But..."

Grell eventually stops arguing as he sees the dark look in Sebastian's eyes. Sighing, he slowly makes his way to the Undertaker.

Ciel and Sebastian then approach where the golden brick is. Ciel looks up at his butler.

"Can you sense anything from the chamber before we open it?" he asks.

Sebastian studies it for a moment.

"I'm afraid I can't. The light magic is too powerful. But that does not mean we should let out guard down."

"Obviously," Ciel replies. "But it is either now or never."

He pauses for dramatic effect.

"Open the door."

With a silent nod, Sebastian delicately presses in the golden brick, which slides into the wall very easily like a piece to a puzzle. There is a small rumbling noise coming from within the wall, where the bricks slowly rearrange themselves to form a doorway to a dark tunnel. Sebastian and Ciel take a step back, their eyes wide at the sight. Not a single sound can be heard from the other side, nor could anything be seen in the darkness. But Ciel is not intimidated by this, as he quietly starts to make his way inside. Sebastian follows close behind him, and the two walk down the tunnel.

A dim white light appears in the distance, Ciel's heartbeat growing faster at the sight of it. He quickens his pace, until he finally finds himself at the entrance of the chamber. His eyes widen in shock, the walls of the entire room decorated in vast paintings, each telling a story from the bible. A single ray of sunlight comes through an opening in the roof, the light falling onto a high placed pedestal.

Where a grail shaped item with a golden cloth covering it laid.

Ciel makes his way up to the pedestal, staring at the cloth that stands between him and the holy grail. Heart pounding, he reaches for the cloth and takes a hold of it. He tightens his grip on it, slipping the cloth off the pedestal. Ciel's eyes widen.

"No..."

Sebastian makes his way next to Ciel and he gives a shocked look.

"What is this?" he questions. "The grail is not here?"

Ciel starts to shake as he stares at the empty space.

"B-but that is _impossible_! There was clearly something hidden underneath the cloth! How..."

He is lost for words.

"Are you _kidding_ me?!"

Ciel and Sebastian turn around to see Grell and Undertaker coming in. An enraged look flares in Grell's eyes as he storms his way towards them.

"Are you telling me that we came all this way to find this goddamn grail, and it is _not_ even _here_?!" the red grim reaper shouts. "Are you telling me we came all this way for _nothing_?!"

"It would seem so," Sebastian says, surprisingly calm. "The only thing that this moment is missing is a note where the grail should be saying, 'fooled you!"'

Undertaker snickers and Grell turns to him.

"This isn't funny, Undertaker! You should not be laughing at this!"

Undertaker's grin grows.

"Oh...but why not? It is the ultimate prank," he says with tiny laughs. "No matter how determine or strong the knight may be, no matter what time period he comes from or if he is even human, his quest shall always fall in vain."

He makes eye contact with Grell, Sebastian, and Ciel.

"...But perhaps it was not _all_ in vain. True, we failed to find the holy grail, but didn't we become stronger while in the progress? We faced witch-crazed villagers, in denial knight long passed death, and a cult who can only be defeated by words. We fought a murderous rabbit, outsmarted a powerful wizard and an enemy of Englishmen everywhere. And we even faced ourselves in our weakest hour."

He smiles.

"The grail may be lost to the humans, grim reapers, and demons, and our 'dear' queen may be disappointed, but at least we gained a strength that can never be taken. And that's what truly matters in the end."

There is a long silence, Ciel and Sebastian staring at Undertaker in total shock by his strangely wise words. Grell slowly opens his mouth to speak.

"That...I don't know what to say..."

He takes a moment to come up with his words.

"That...has got to be the _dumbest_ thing I've ever heard in my entire life! Seriously, how cliché can you get?!"

The Undertaker smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

"It was the best that I could come up with. I tried."

"Well, try harder! I mean, God that was _so_ lame!"

Ciel face palms.

"Though Undertaker does have a point," Sebastian says. "Whatever happened to the holy grail, it is clearly forever out of man's reach."

He gives a pondering look.

"Though it does make me wonder...what _did_ happen to it. There are so many questions left unanswered."

"And maybe there will never be an answer," Undertaker replies. "Just like what happened to the grail, it is never to be known."

"But still, what a letdown!" Grell complains. "My shoulder got nomed on by a freaken bunny for this! I would have like _some_ reward for my efforts! And what makes it worse is the fact I'm going to have to face Will for missing out on work for so long... _Ugh_!"

He mutters to himself as he leaves the chamber. Sebastian gives a small smile and turns to Ciel.

"Are you ready to go, my lord? I'm sure you are looking forward to returning to the manor after all that has happened."

Ciel stares down at the cloth, which he still holds in his hand. He clutches onto it tightly.

"...Yes. I'm ready to end this maddening quest."

He walks away from the pedestal.

"I knew this was going to be a wild goose chase... _Why_ did I actually get my hopes up on finding it?"

He then disappears into the tunnel, Sebastian close behind him. The only one who has yet to leave the chamber is the Undertaker, who patiently waits until the others are out of ear shot. He moves his gaze to the pedestal, a small smile appearing across his face.

"...This really is the king among pranks," the Undertaker says softly. "Two times I've come to search for this prize among humans and got the same result. And if little Lord Phantomhive can't find it...it will forever be lost."

He gives a small chuckle, his long silver bangs falling perfectly over his eyes.

"He he he... A very amusing adventure, this was. One that I shall not forget for a _long_ time."

And with that in mind, the Undertaker walks out of the chamber to catch up to the others.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**And thus, Quest for the Holy Grail is complete! Not the most accomplished of endings (at least for the characters), but I hope it was an entertaining one, nevertheless. I definitely had a lot of fun writing this fanfic, and I'm really glad how it turned out.**

**I also look forward to writing more fanfics for Black Butler and hope they are just as good (if not better) than this one. It may be awhile before I write my next one...but do expect to see more Black Butler fanfics from me in the future.**

**I thank you all for reading and reviewing and I hoped you enjoyed it!**


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